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.

Reveal My (Makeup) Stash #1 - Foundations & Concealers

I've long been saying that I'd do a makeup post, but have majorly slacked. Makeup isn't a passion of mine and, while it's fun and I'm more into it now than ever before, I prefer a minimal makeup routine and look that I don't feel it's ever worth posting. Since the Reveal My Stash skin care edition was well loved, I thought I'd do the same with makeup. 
My entire makeup collection has definitely grown quite a bit in the last couple of years. I literally used to only own one foundation, one concealer, one blush, one bronzer, one mascara, crap load of lip glosses, and no lipsticks. Seriously. Take a look at what isn't a PR sample, that'll give you a great idea of what my collection was like before.  Before we start, my apologies for the poor swatch photos. I decided to include swatches as I began doing the post, and of course there's no sun. They came out a darker than they actually are. If you click the links, it'll take you to my full review and you'll likely see better swatches. 
FOUNDATION
Sappho Liquid Foundation in Leisha and *Rachel, *Pure Anada Sheer Matte Pressed Foundation in Very Fair and Light, and Jane Iredale Amazing Base in Amber & Radiant (sent to me by Alexis of The Green Beauty Bunny).  I use Sappho's Leisha with Pure Anada's Light on top, most often. If I don't wear powder, I'll mix Leisha and Rachel together. If I only wear powder, Light is what I reach for. The inner part of my arm isn't as pale as my face, therefore Sappho's Leisha and Pure Anada's Very Fair are workable but too light on their own. All shades are fairly neutral, leaning towards yellow toned. 
CONCEALER

B to T: Sappho in Leisha, Sappho in Rachel, Pure Anada in Very Fair, Pure Anada in Light, Jane Iredale in Amber, & Jane Iredale in Radiant

B to T: Sappho in Leisha, Sappho in Rachel, Pure Anada in Very Fair, Pure Anada in Light, Jane Iredale in Amber, & Jane Iredale in Radiant

*Sappho Concealer in Undo & Neutrality, Origins Plantscription in Light, *OhSudz Concealer in Warm, Salmon & Medium.

A good under eye concealer has been a major struggle for me too find. Since I have blue veins, I can't use yellow because then my under eyes look green. Sappho's Neutrality was being used regularly, however, I found it to look a little gray/grey at times. Out of the concealers I have, I've been using OhSudz in Warm to conceal under my eyes and Origins as a shadow base (just to use it up). The others just aren't a great match for me.

B to T: Sappho Neutrality, Sappho Undo, OhSudz in Salmon, OhSudz in Medium, OhSudz in Warm, & Origins in Light

*PR SAMPLES. OhSudz was kindly sent to me to figure out which shade best suits me, it wasn't for review consideration or anything blog related. Not sure if that still qualifies as a PR sample, just letting you know anyway.

Sappho Liquid Foundation in Rachel Review

After having this foundation since April, I'm finally getting around to reviewing it. Sorry guys. Sappho is a great Canadian company, created by MUA JoAnn Fowler, that uses natural ingredients. I've already reviewed their concealers, pressed shadows, and blush and it's no secret that the products are wonderful. This *Liquid Foundation is no exception and I've fallen deeply, deeply in love.

Description: Preserved with essential oils and chock full of antioxidants, this liquid mineral foundation suits someone with a medium or very slightly tanned skin tone. The yellow in this foundation counteracts redness . Free of dimethicone, your skin can breathe, so you don't feel as though you are wearing foundation, yet you have great coverage—heaven! Vegan. 30ml.

Liquid foundation has never been a love of mine, mainly because I find it can look super cakey. And I must admit that when JoAnn colour matched me, using the Sappho foundation brush to apply the foundation, I wasn't impressed. Well...I was because it covered all of my imperfections, but for someone who doesn't normally wear full coverage foundation, it looked like cake face. Enter the BeautyBlender. This magical sponge has helped me fall in love. It applies the foundation flawlessly, creating a buildable light to medium coverage that's just enough for everyday wear. The foundation evens out the complexion by reducing any redness and blurs out imperfections like acne and acne scars. It gives the skin a luminous finish that looks incredibly natural. The ingredients are so pure and healing. Go ahead. Scroll down and take a look, I'll wait. Rooibos, calendula, neem, lavender, chamomile? Like really, does it get any better? The essential oil blend give this foundation a herbal scent that may be a bit much for some. I personally don't mind it and find it dissipates throughout the day. Rachel has worked well for me when I have a tan, and after my vacay I just darkened it up with bronzer. When I'm lacking sunshine, it's a tad dark but totally workable. A shade between Rachel and Leisha (shade lighter than Rachel) would be perfect. You can see a comparison of the two on Pure Makeup Blog. There are 3 things that may discourage you from trying this fantastic foundation: 1. There are only 8 shades. 2. It's $52 CAN for 30ml. 3. There is no pump. To that I say: there are samples available, a little goes a long way, and hopefully there will be one soon! I'm head over heels in love with this foundation and would definitely pick up another bottle once I run out. I've been wearing it every single day for the last 2 months and still have 2/3 of the bottle left. 

UPDATE Dec/13: Pumps are now available!

Retails for approx. $52 CAN for 30ml. Can be purchased through Sappho Cosmetics, their retailers, and Amazon.

What are some of your favourite liquid foundations? Would you give this one a try?

I obviously applied wayy too much lol.

Ingredients: Aloe barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Juice, Simmondsia chinensis (Organic Jojoba) Oil, *Titanium Dioxide, Aspalathus linearis (Organic Rooibos) Extract, Calendula officinalis (Organic Calendula) Extract, Emulsifying Wax, Camellia sinensis (Organic Green Tea) Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Iron Oxide, Mica, Zinc Oxide, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary Extract), Azadirachta indica (Neem), Stearic Acid, Limnanthes alba (Meadowfoam) Oil, Daucus carota sativa (Carrot) Oil, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), Boswellia carterii (Frankincense) Essential Oil, Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Essential Oil, Cistus ladaniferus (Rockrose) Essential Oil, Cedrus deodora (Cedarwood) Essential Oil, Lavendula officinalis (Lavender) Essential Oil, Anthemis nobilis (Roman Chamomile) Essential Oil, Konjac Glucomannan (Mannan), Citric Acid.

*Product provided for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Pure Anada Sheer Matte Pressed Foundation Review

Foundation is something that I don't change often or have many different types/brands of. Since mineral foundation is what I prefer to wear, a small jar lasts forever and I like to use it up before moving on. I was running low on my Alima Pure and really wanted to try something new. Enter **Sheer Matte Pressed Foundation from Pure Anada.

Left to right: Very Fair & Light

Description: This convenient, paperback compact is magnetic and reusable.  Simply insert your shade of foundation, and replace when necessary. The foundation is sheer, and matte, providing less coverage and glow than our loose mineral foundation. 

I recently tried their African Gold and adored it. Well, spoiler alert, I adore this foundation as well! While it can be worn and is supposed to be sheer, I'd say it can be built up to medium coverage. When applied with concealer, it's looks pretty full coverage. Versatile much? I'd say so. For those with dehydrated or dry skin, you'll need to moisturize really well and set with a hydrating water or toner because it truly is a matte foundation. It can and does cling to dry patches, sadly, but setting it helps a bit. This would be perfect for oily skin types, like match made in heaven perfect. I love how pure the ingredients are, so pure that the smell of the foundation reflects that. It's a musty sort of scent that doesn't linger for long, in fact, I can't even smell it anymore. Candace doesn't use any essential oils due to the fact that some may react to them, and refuses to add any sort of fragrance or ingredients that mask the natural scent of the product. I can certainly appreciate that. The packaging is very simple, eco friendly, and smart. Each pressed foundation is a refill that comes in a sleek cardboard sleeve. What may or may not suck for some, is that you have to buy the empty palette, unless you already one (from Pure Anada or another brand). While I love that the palette is slim and can fit foundation + shadows, it's kind of long and I don't need my shadows with me during the day. I wish there was a round palette option that fit the refill perfectly so that I didn't have to carry the other one around. When it comes to selecting the right shade for your skin, I wish you luck. There are only five shade selections (Very Fair, Light, Medium, Deep & Global) and they're not what you'd expect based on the names. I never in a million years would have thought that "very fair" would be my shade (without a tan) in any foundation. In my mind, Snow White would be considered very fair..right?  Very Fair has a yellow undertone to it, while Light is slightly orange/tan (swatches below). Silver lining: they offer a much wider range of shades in their loose foundation and liquid foundation if you're not a fan of pressed or can't find your perfect match. Nevertheless, this is a fabulous foundation and I have been using it every single day since receiving it. I highly recommend giving it a go if you're in the market for a new matte foundation.

Retails for a very affordable $19.50 CAN for 10g. Can be purchased through Pure Anada and most of their retailers.

Have you ever tried Pure Anada foundations?

Magnetic palette stores 1 pressed foundation & 4 shadows

Top to bottom: Very Fair & Light

Top to bottom: Light & Very Fair

Top to bottom: Light & Very Fair

Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Silica, Boron Nitride, Iron Oxides, Ultramarines, *Simmondsia Chinensis ( Jojoba) Seed Oil,  Caprylic/capric triglyceride

*Certified Organic Ingredients

**product sent for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

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?