Brand Focus: Gabriel Cosmetics & Zuzu Luxe

Gabriel and Zuzu Luxe are sister brands, and definitely well known worldwide.  I've already tried (and loved) their mascara, brow pencil, and liquid liner, and although I've always wanted to explore more, the price point in Canada is quite high. When I say high, I mean almost double the American pricing and it hardly ever goes on sale. I think it's amazing that their products are made in the USA, with the exception of their pencils which are made in Germany. But what I absolutely love most, is that they are vegan and free from the following:

• Coal Tar Derivatives or FD&C agents
• Parabens
• Soy
• Mineral Oil
• Peanuts & Tree Nuts
• Lanolin
• Talc
• Propylene Glycol
• Hydrogenated Oils
• Gluten
• Phthalates
• DBP
• Toluene
• Lead
• Formaldehyde
• Nano/Micro sized particles

You can read more about Gabriel/Zuzu Luxe here. 

I was given the opportunity to try out a few of their products and decided on the *Zuzu Luxe Dual Powder Foundation in D-10, *Zuzu Luxe Mascara in Onyx, *Zuzu Luxe Lipliner in Bounce, *Gabriel Lipliner in Berry, *Gabriel Moisturizing Liquid Foundation in Soft Beige, and *Gabriel Eye Primer in Neutral.

For ingredients, click here

Good eye primers are hard to come by, especially when you have really oily, deep set lids. Every brand boasts theirs as the best, but so far only the *Gabriel Eye Primer ($13.55 USD/2.5 g) has worked for me. It's extremely creamy, offers pretty good vein coverage, evens out the lids well, and keeps shadows from creasing for several hours. Not sure that it would last quite as long in the middle of a super hot Canadian summer day, when humidity takes over and you can barely breath, but I guess we'll find out in a few months. The neutral shade is slightly darker than pictured above and leans cool. On medium to dark skin tones, this could appear white on the lids. I've applied this primer with fingers and brushes, and much prefer the even application that a brush gives. The packaging is lovely, super small and sturdy, and great for travelling with. If you're looking for an eye primer, I highly recommend this one.

For ingredients, click here.

I'm beyond in love with the *Zuzu Luxe Dual Powder Foundation ($28.30 USD/9 g) and have used it every single time, without fail, since receiving it. It provides such beautiful coverage on its own and extra, flawless, coverage over top of my beloved Sappho Liquid Foundation in Leisha. It can sometimes cling to dry patches, although it's not often that I find my skin looking cakey or flaky when wearing this foundation and my skin tends to lean dry in the colder months. I don't want to jinx it but, it hasn't developed a crust on the top like most pressed powders do. You know, when you have to scrape the top layer in order to get the product to actually come off on your brush or sponge? So annoying. The shade is a tad light for my skin but is easily manageable. D-10 is described as Pale Ivory Skin/Pink Undertones, however, I don't find that it leans pink at all. I chose this shade prior to them revamping their site and could swear it was described as neutral, which I find it is. The compact is a bit bulky, but it's great for taking on the go because of how sturdy it is and the great sized mirror (which I've covered with the sponge). My only issue, being Canadian, is that I cannot find the damn refill pans ($21.25 USD/9 g). I've called 4 different stores within the GTA and nobody carries them. What's up with that Gabriel?? It is probably the best foundation that I've ever used, to date, but if I can't easily get my hands on a refill, I may need to find another powder :(:(:(.

For ingredients, click here.

I really wanted to love this *Gabriel Moisturizing Liquid Foundation ($28 USD/30 ml), like really wanted to love it. I didn't play with it much because it was way too pink for my warm/neutral skin tone, however, I did wear it once (around the house). It provided beautiful medium to full coverage, minimally clinged to dry patches, provided a dewy finish, and wore pretty well. I've swatched all of the available light to medium shades, of this foundation, and find that they're all cool toned, which is really disappointing. Hopefully they include a wider range of undertones at some point.

For Gabriel ingredients, click here. For Zuzu ingredients, click here.

I've never been a lipliner girl, until now. They really do make a difference in how your lipstick wears and helps define your lips, especially when wearing bolder shades. Both the *Gabriel Lipliner ($12 USD/1.13 g) in Berry and the *Zuzu Luxe Lipliner ($13.80 USD/1.13 g) in Bounce are stunning. Berry is described as a Pinkish Plum/Cool Blue Undertone and Bounce is described as a Deep Pinkish Plum/Cool, both are accurate descriptions. They're incredibly long wearing, pigmented, creamy, and just an absolute pleasure to use. I love wearing them on their own and under a lipstick or gloss. The only negative I have is that the caps don't stay on tightly, specifically the Gabriel one. Aside from that, I'm hooked and desperately want to pick up a few more (Innocence, Port, and Red).
Get it here: Gabriel, Pharmaca, and most health food stores (including Whole Foods, Goodness Me!, The Big Carrot, and Nature's Emporium). 
*Products provided for review consideration. All opinions are entirely my own.

The All Natural Face: Magic Vegan Eye Shadow Primer Review

Back in February I did a haul, from The All Natural Face, that included their Magic Vegan Eye Shadow Primer. After having bad luck with the Oily Lid Primer, I decided that it couldn't get any worse and went for it.

Description: "Magic" has a doe tip applicator just like Urban Decay's old Potion Primer did. "Magic" is an amazing primer! Just dab a few dabs of the "Magic" primer on your lids, blend in with your fingertip, and let dry for a second or two. Apply your shadow as you usually do. "Magic" will give you all day wear and crease protection! You can also use this an under eye concealer if the tone is complimentary.

I'm a big squeeze tube lover in general, however, the doe tip applicator is great for controlled application and reducing the use of too much product. When I used this in the colder months, I didn't really like it because I found it caked and made my lids look crepey regardless of how much or little I applied. With it now being warmer here, I find it applies much easier and doesn't give me that crepey look anymore. I like that it helps a bit with any lid discolourations. For everyday use with a more natural eye, it's great, but it's not my go to for long lasting shadow or more dramatic looks. It doesn't last all day, on me anyway, I find my shadow just disappears after about 4 hours. I know for a fact that this wouldn't last, on me, on a extremely hot day in the summer. A good natural eye primer is hard to come by and I haven't tried that many to really be able to compare the difference. What works for you will depend on your eye shape and how oily (or not) your lid is. For the price, this is great and although I wouldn't repurchase, I highly recommend giving it a try.

Retails for $7 USD for .43oz. Can be purchased directly through The All Natural Face only.

Ingredients: purified water, glycerin, mica, oxides, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide(sunscreens), organic jojoba oil, squalane oil,boron nitride(mineral),Ceteareth-6 Olivate (olive based emulsifier), xanthan gum(co-emulsifier), cosmocial cq (preservative) potassium sorbate (food grade preservative).

The All Natural Face Haul #2 + First Impressions + Mini Reviews

The wonderful Caitie, from Naturalla Beauty, had posted on her Facebook page about a fab deal for The All Natural Face from yourbestdeals.com. The deal was $19 for $50 worth of product. Luckily she did because otherwise I would have missed out! Thanks Caitie!

My first ANF haul was pretty exciting. Imagine how much more exciting this haul was for me since I got to try more products! Soooo exciting...until...I received my order. The colours of what I received were just such a let down and you're about to see what I mean.

I'm going to start with the lipstick sampler which comes with five shades of choice, one clear and a lip scrub. I opted out of the scrub because it contains salicylic acid which doesn't react well with my skin. The five shades that I selected were Deep Wine, Sweet Wine, Juicy Plum, Sweetheart Pink and Cherries Jubilee. I ended up receiving two samples of Deep Wine and none of Sweet Wine. Mistakes happen. I was more disappointed to discover that they weren't what I expected in terms of shade, two look the same and one looks more like a gloss (and I'm not talking about the clear sample). They feel more like a gloss than a lipstick and have an odd plastic taste. I tried applying them with a brush and my finger, and they applied better with my finger which is how they were applied with in the pictures below. I doubt I'll be using these samples or purchasing full sizes because the taste honestly makes me gag a little and the shades aren't flattering on me except the Sweetheart Pink.

L TO R: Deep Wine, Sweetheart Pink, Cherries Jubilee & Juicy Plum. Notice how Deep Wine & Cherries Jubilee look the same?



Juicy Plum - not pigmented on the lips at all. Felt like oil being rubbed on my lips.

Deep Wine

Cherries Jubilee



Sweetheart Pink

I then picked up the Diva Eye Stix in Milk and Fawn. Bri, from iluvjesse444, has raved about the stix in Milk for highlighting the inner corners of the eyes and brow bone. How could I not pick it up if she loves it so much!? I really enjoy it! It's creamy and creates a very nice brightening effect, however, be careful with how much you apply. My skin is a bit dry and it clinged to the dry patches on my brow bone the first time that I used it. The second time I used less and it was beautiful. Lesson learnt lol. Fawn on the other hand, isn't nearly as creamy and I found I have to warm it up on the back of my hand before applying it otherwise it tugs at the delicate eye area. All in all, I'm pleased.

Top to Bottom: Milk & Fawn. Better swatch will be below.

Bri also raved about the Magic Vegan Eye Shadow Primer. I originally picked up the Oily Lid Primer which was so disappointing and creased horribly. The Magic Primer is amazing! I've only used is a couple of times but it didn't crease and helped my shadows last. I wouldn't say it lasts ALL day, like Urban Decay's Primer Potion, but it's fantastic for being a natural and vegan primer.

I love lip gloss and thought I might as well try one from the ANF. After spending a very long time going through all of the pictures and descriptions of each gloss to pick a colour that I thought would be great, I decided on Sassy Cherry. Huge mistake. When I think Cherry, I think a beautiful berry shade. Imagine my disappointment when I opened up this gloss and saw how brown it was and to make matters worse, it has the same plastic taste as the lipsticks. The smell/taste doesn't go away, it lingers and that a problem for me because I honestly can't handle it. It looks like a chocolate shade and just looks awful on me. I will not be using this gloss and I won't be trying other shades due to the scent. Perhaps of a little peppermint was added, I would give a different shade a try.

Better swatch will be below.

Here is a swatch of Sassy Cherry Lip Glss (top left corner) and the Diva Stix in Milk & Fawn

My last haul, I picked up the pot cream foundation in True Beige which was too dark for me. This haul, I picked up the same foundation but in Light Beige Warm which matches me much better. I haven't really played with this much so I don't have much to say about it. It's creamy, that's all I got :P

Last but not least, I picked up three cream blushes because they are beyond amazing! It was hard selecting shades, because again, they appear different than what's on the site. I decided on Dusky Rose, Barbie & Touch of Rose. I knew what to expect with Dusky Rose and Barbie because there's a picture of them on TANF cream blush section, however, Touch of Rose was disappointing. It's lighter than what I expected seeing the powdered version. I find it to be more of a bronzey, pink highlight. I'm not thrilled with it, that's for sure. Barbie is really pretty, not as pigmented as the other cream blushes but definitely buildable. Dusky rose is really pretty as well, it blends out to give you a nice "touch of rose" look or you can build it to get a darker rose appearance.

Sorry they're dirty, I swatched them the second I got them and they're hard to clean.
L to R: Dusky Rose, Barbie & Touch of Rose

L to R: Touch of Rose, Barbie & Dusky Rose

I lied, cream blushes weren't last. I got three eye shadow samples in Smolder, Raw Steel and Creme Brulee. I was disappointed with Smolder, it's not as pigmented as I expected. Raw Steel is really pretty, thought it would be darker but it's not bad. Creme Brulee is my favouriteeee! So shimmery and just a great neutral champagne type shade for everyday wear.

This was so much longer than I expected but it's great to see swatches to help you decide what to order, should you choose to order from The All Natural Face. Their products, for the most part, are wonderful and their pricing can't be beat but they need to get up pictures of all of their cream product shades and better pictures/swatches of their lip shades.

What are you most excited to order from The All Natural Face?

The All Natural Face Review

I did a haul and first impressions last month and have played around with every item for a good period of time to come to a conclusion. This is going to be short and sweet; basically a description, verdict and ingredients. To see actual swatches, just click on the link above. Also, I have placed another order since this once and received it but I'm waiting to hear back from Crystal on a few issues I had before putting up another haul.

Here we go!



Description Pot Foundation/Concealer in True Beige: With the new formula you won't lose any of the coverage but the application is much creamier and feels just wonderful! The foundation can be used as a concealer or as a foundation. You get fantastic coverage with this formula!

Verdict: The formula is definitely creamy but the colour doesn't match me at all. I thought maybe I could mix it with the Oily Lid Primer to make my own shade but that was too much effort and didn't work well. Regardless, it didn't seem to cover much or last long but that could be because the colour is off. It is darker than I expected after seeing the powdered version. I did order a new one in my shade and will review that soon.

Ingredients: organic jojoba oil, organic argan oil,candelillia wax, mica, oxides, tuitanium dioxide and zinc oxide(sunscreens). $6.50 USD for 10g.



L to R: Cotton Candy & Peachy Rose

Description Cream Blush: They are sooo smooth on the lips and the color payoff is phenomenal! Our customers ohh and ahhh at the blend ability on the cheeks...but once on the lips...they yell GIMMIE!

Verdict: I am obsessed with these! They blend so easily, are creamy, pigmented and look great on my cheeks and lips! They hold up pretty well throughout the day. My biggest issue with these is that the shades don't translate to the shades you see in the powdered versions online. I was definitely thrown off when I received these, luckily I ended up loving them.

Ingredients: Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Argan Oil, Candelilia Wax, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Boron Nitride, Oxides. $5.75 USD.

Vegan Oily Lid Primer in Buff: It stays on forever! I developed this exclusively for oily eyelids but you dont have to have oily lids for this to work if you just want to use it for the buff color. It is not made with drying ingredients so it will not dry out your lids.

Verdict: Save your money, it creases. I tried applying this over Tarte's eye primer and it creased. I have a mini Tarte eye primer which I use if I'm going out because it makes my shadow last all day, but didn't work with this. I tried applying it over an oil absorbing powder, it creased. I applied a little and I applied more, it creased. No matter how much, little or way it was applied, it creased! Such a shame because it works great for neutralizing the lids. I attempted to use this as a concealer on my face, and thought it was a good match at first, but it's a tad light.

Ingredients: Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Argan Oil, Candelilia Wax, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Boron Nitride, Oxides. $3.45 USD for 5g.

I love how affordable and natural all of these products are. The cream blushes are so worth picking up but I warn you now, be careful with colour selection when looking at the powdered blushes.

What are you loving from The All Natural Face?

The All Natural Face Haul + First Impressions!

I first heard of The All Natural Face from Bri (iluvjesse444) on YouTube. She has raved about all of the products that she has tried and I have visited their site regularly, eyeing what I'd like to buy first. I love that everything is so clean, natural, VEGAN and affordable. For those Canadian gals out there, shipping was under $4! How amazing is that!? Nothing turns me off more than paying a ridiculously high shipping fee. Crystal, from TANF, actually makes the products and stands by them 100%. She is incredibly sweet, eager to help and loves to ensure that her customer's are fully happy with their products. Aside from colour selection, I had no hesitation placing my first order.

Here's what I picked up!

L to R: Pot Foundation/concealer in True Beige,
Cream Blush in Cotton Candy and Peachy Rose,
and the Vegan Oily Lid Primer in Buff

Pot Foundation/Concealer in True Beige: This is a creamy and medium coverage concealer. I actually applied it under my eyes to see how much it would cover and how much it would crease, it worked pretty well. It definitely needs to be set with a powder but it didn't crease much. Sadly, the colour is too dark for me but at $6.50 USD for 10g, I'm not going to cry about it. I will be ordering another shade and possibly a pink shade for use under my eyes.

Cream Blush in Cotton Candy: Bri didn't lie, their cream blushes are fantastic! The colour of this one shocked me a bit because it has a strong purple tone to it but looks beautiful on. It's creamy, pigmented and long lasting.

Cream Blush in Peachy Rose: Beautiful colour and I love it as much as Cotton Candy. It's definitely peachy!  Both colours can be sheered out for a wash of colour or built up for more intensity. These are $5.75 USD each and I will be buying more for sure!

Vegan Oily Lid Primer in Buff: This shade is a good match for my skin. It sadly creases on me no matter how much or little I use. I have deep set eyes though, that's probably why I'm more prone to creasing. I'm still playing with it but I think I may end up just using it as a concealer. It was only $3.45 USD.

Crystal also included a mini sample of an eyeshadow and a sampler of all the foundation and concealers shades available. I thought that was fantastic because it now allows me to pick my actual shade and easily order what I need.

L to R: Cream Blush in Cotton Candy,
Cream Blush in Peachy Rose,
Pot Foundation/concealer in True Beige,
and Primer in Buff

L to R: Cream Blush in Cotton Candy,
Cream Blush in Peachy Rose,
Pot Foundation/concealer in True Beige,
and Primer in Buff

What's your favourite product from The All Natural Face? If you haven't tried them yet, what's on your wish list?