Duwop Payoff Hullabaloo

There has been a great deal of fuss over Duwop's Payoff on Makeupalley message boards. (If you've never been to the site, check it out, it's a must visit for any makeup lover). A member posted a picture of eyeshadow using Duwop Payoff and without using the product. The swatch that had used Payoff was bright and vibrant while the other was not. Many people rushed to Ebay (I don't know why, but I think it was just cheaper) and bought the product on the spot.

I finally checked it out for myself. The effect is indeed real. When I used Payoff with my regular gold shadow, the shadow was suddenly vibrant and the colour was almost opaque. But: I get the same result using Urban Decay Primer Potion which I already have! Plus, I know that I can rely on the Primer Potion to be crease-free for the whole day, and Payoff does not have that track record behind it. Furthermore, I know that many people do not like the opaque eyeshadow look, and like even their brightest shades to be sheer on the lid. It's a personal choice, to be sure, but just think twice before you jump on any makeup bandwagon.

Update: I was not using the Intensifier as a primer - it's not meant for that. But I saw that using it had the same effect as using a primer. And the eyeshadow I tried it with was from a Dior palette. I'll post pictures up when I get a chance.

Canadian Beauty News: May 18, 2007

Apologies for the late version of Canadian Beauty News - I have a busy summer coming up and might not be able to post something until later Friday or early Saturday from now on. But I'm not leaving so check back or to know when I've updated, enter your email address to the subscribe box in the right sidebar!

Lets start with a review of new products that are now out.

Chanel Summer 2007 Collection

This is an amazing collection because it's exactly what a summer collection should be.


The eye and lip palette is awesome. It seems to be made to make your tanned skin look better since the lipglosses have gold shimmer in them and they're still bright colours since this is what you feel like wearing after a winter of neutrals.

Set with the palette is a duo of waterproof eyeliners in teal and gold. These are beautiful and won't melt in the summer heat. If you're looking for a gold but don't want to invest in an eyeshadow, this eyeliner might be your new best friend.

Chanel also has its Glossimers of course, but there are a couple of Glossimers that are sheer, without any shimmer, and in bright colours - the sales associate tells me that they glow in black light which I suppose is wonderful if you're planning on hitting a rave this summer. Luckily, for everyone else, the Glossimer colours are so fantastic that they're worth having for the summer. Sheer yet super-bright, they go so well with a neutral face. I believe that these are sold out at many stores in the USA, but I was able to easily find them here in Canada!

Vincent Longo

Longo has introduced a pearlized version of his gel stains - basically they have shimmer in them instead of just the colour. I had a chance to try them out and they're not bad! The colour on your lips is comfortable and looks nice without being overwhelming in either colour or shimmer. I think that if you liked the gel stain without the shimmer, you'll like this version too because it's something different.

Duwop

Duwop has come out with a compact that features a face balm and a powder in it. It comes in 3 colours and all of them a sheer and wonderful neutrals. I try so many products that sometimes it takes a lot for me to be blown away, so let me say that this duo is amazing! Full marks!

The balm goes on very smoothly and you're supposed to put it on before you add any makeup to your skin. I dusted my skin with powder after using it and I found that the powder sort of stuck to the balm but this wasn't a bad thing. The balm alone left my face looking very smooth but sort of added a whitish cast to it which I wasn't a fan of, but I knew that makeup would be going on top so I didn't worry about it too much.

The powder was sheer and so silky. Together, the duo left my skin oil-free for the whole day and also seemed to absorb/repel sweat for a short while too. I am super impressed. Now, i want Duwop to introduce the balm on its own in a larger compact so that I can use it with the powder I like better. Honestly, this is the best summer product to come by in a long while so if you have ultra-oily skin, do check it out.

Great Beauty Reads

A Touch of Blusher is missing Calvin Klein Cosmetics! I remember those!

Elke von Freudenberg checks out The Makeup Show in NYC.

Life of a Ladybug wants a clean as real as ivory!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Reminders that next week is Toronto Week of Style and Toronto Fashion Blogger's Brunch!

Canadian Beauty News: May 11, 2007

The sun is out and shining and with the great weather come great new products and events!

Toronto - Global Capital of Style?

A couple of nights ago, I went to the Press Party for Toronto Week of Style. Happening in a couple of weeks, the week will feature fashion shows and styles aimed more at the public than the buyers of stores. The week is hosted by the Style Council of Canada and the shows are grouped by theme rather than designer. Bambumoda, for example, will showcase the trends coming up in the next 4 or 5 years, while Fashion Fringe will be more about undiscovered talent from all over the world. There will also be a Denim show, a show for swimwear, for lingerie, and best of all, one for pop culture.

I have to say that the best part of the whole event is that bloggers are given the same amount of respect as the rest of the media. Great seats, personalized attention, and complete lack of snobbery were features of the press party and made me glad that I had gone. This is likely the first of many posts that I'll write covering the event, so stay tuned!

Oh, and associated with Toronto Week of Style, is a campaign that says that Toronto is the Global Capital of Style. Is it? What do you think?

New Products from Duwop!

Duwop has expanded its product line and those products are finally in stores this week.

Lets begin with the E-lix-r-stix. Basically a pen filled with a gloss that tastes sort of like a cookie. These have a runny consistency sort of like Cargo's Purse Gloss but also go on smooth and semi-sheer. They come in 4 great colours that look natural on. I tried, I liked!

Next comes Blushbooster, meant to be layered on top of regular blush to add shine or... I don't know, layer on more blush? Really, I don't know why they'd call this Blush booster when it's pretty much just a regular blush. It comes in nice colours, has a smidge of shimmer (not too much), and goes on smoothly. It's not so sheer that you have to layer on tons to get good colour payoff, but it's not ultra-bright either.

Finally, there's Duwop Realipstick which is a nice normal glossy lipstick that comes in neutral tones only.

Overall, the new products add to Duwop's reputation of having products that provide a natural look. The products they offer are good and if you want lipsticks or blushes that look natural on your skin, and if you want a line that offers everyday basics in flattering colours, then Duwop is the line for you.

Laura Gellar Now IN

I know that there are those of you out there that may have had an eye on Laura Gellar products that have until now only been sold online or on TSC. Well, Sephora now has a truncated version of the line available - they have her most popular products in! The Spackle Trio, and Lip and Eye Spackle Duo are both in stores.

I also spotted the Bronze-N-Brighten, though for the life of me, I can't figure out why this is so popular. I'm not saying that it's not a good bronzer and that it won't brighten up your skin. I am just not wowed by the whole marbled compact marketing campaign. Look, once your swirl your brush in (or run your finger through) the compact, you basically end up with a shimmery pinkish bronze that you then dust on your face. Well, wouldn't putting that pinkish bronze shade (already blended, I mean) in a compact be a better idea because it would give you more consistent colour? Why the marbling? Oh, and don't even bother telling me that I can pick out just the pink or the brown and use them as eye shadows - who would actually do that? Anyway, perhaps you will like the pinky-bronze colour that this compact yields and let me know if you do. The powder itself is smooth and easy to apply.

New Estee Lauder Collection!

Listen up - Tom Ford has designed his final collection for Estee Lauder and Holt Renfrew is now taking advance orders for it!

The collection is called Azuree Soleil and has a range of pinky-plummy colours, called Soiree, and then a range of more bronze shades, called Bronzee. As can be expected from Estee Lauder, the formulations are amazing.

If you've been looking for a highlighter that's not too shimmery, you must check out The Face Sheen which goes on so smoothly and has just the right amount of shimmer and gloss.

Tom Ford has also created a new scent to go with the collection - it's called Tom Ford Azuree Soleil. Finally, a summer fragrance that doesn't smell like suntan oil or a margarita. The Estee Lauder website says that there are notes of Sandalwood, Gardenia petals, Coconuts, and Orange Blossom, among other things, but I couldn't recognize any of those when I smell it. To me, it just smells of the ocean and it's a nice pleasing scent - not too fresh and not too warm.

Great Beauty Reads

Ageless in Los Angeles talks about new Prom beauty.

All Lacquered Up tells us about the chemicals in nail polishes.

Pretty By Nature tells us about PhytoOrganics - a hair care line from Nexxus.


Alrighty, well that's all for this week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Duwop Revolotion Face

The second tinted moisturizer I tried was the much-talked about Duwop Revolution Face. This one comes in four colours and the last one is a dark tan which means that darker skin tones have an option too! The moisturizer also has an SPF of 15 which makes it a great multi-tasker.

Straight out of the bottle, the moisturizer is a little thick but warms up as you're spreading it on. It spreads easily and goes on nicely. Though it feels sheer as you're applying it, there is some colour there, so you notice imperfections being blurred out. Where the MAC Select Tint actually felt like a foundation, this tinted moisturizer feels like more of a heavy moisturizer.

After putting it on, my skin was immediately "glowy" which was in part due to the slight amount of shimmer, but mostly because of the heavy moisturizer that was added to my face. Throughout the day, the moisturizer wore well, but my face just kept getting shiny and I blotted several times with powder. At the end of the day, I sort of couldn't wait to wash this stuff off my face. It was just too heavy. It was way too moisturizing even for this winter weather.

The colours offered are great - they are skin-true shades and blend into your natural skin tone nicely. The two darker colours are especially good because they are tan without being yellow or orange based. They look very natural which is great coming from a company that doesn't really do foundation.

Final Verdict: As a tinted moisturizer Duwop Revolotion Face is best suited for someone with dry or very dry skin since it does moisturize to a high degree. I would also say that this is a true tinted moisturizer - it adds a tint and moisturizer yet does not cross into the foundation category.