Annabelle and her purple eye....

I had the chance, one day to be cited as the "author" of a sweet blog. The nice girl giving me a shout out said she liked to imagine my first name was Annabelle because I was using the brand so often in my FOTD that it defined me...So today, again, please don't call me Caroline, I am just Annabelle ;-)

Look at that and clean up the drool from your chins, ladies ! one swipe, no primer : the 3 colors on my fingers are rainforest, utraviolet and tutu. I didn't swatch Fantasy : the peacocky turquoise color because I didn't use it in my EOTD but My brushes are itching to try it ....

Next , full face with flash : products used for the face are:

NARS sheer glow in Deauville. Still on the fence with this one, the coverage and lasting power are perfection but it might be a little too yellow on me...

Maybelline Mineral blush in Soft Mauve

Annabelle Haute gold bronzer to contour

Mac prep and prime finishing powder to set everything

Very scary close up on my eye :

Primer : TFSI

e/s : Rainforest(Annabelle) in the inner corner , Ultraviolet (Annabelle) all over the lid, tutu (Annabelle) to blend, the beauty marked dupe from WnW to give depth in the outer V (Lust palette)

liner : Feline khol liner from MAC

Brows : Root Beer e/s from a NYX trio

Mascara : Marcelle volume precision in black

This pic is truer to the colors : there is a hint of fuschia in the ultraviolet that is just gorgeous...

Lips : Heather from NYX mixed with Gosh Darling (134)

Neck : H&M new scarf....love, love, love....

Last one, just to tell you that this look was inspired by Laurenisokay on Youtube. It is quite far from what she did but she is cute and talented so I often take some of her color combos as a base for my own look !

Have a good day, lovelies !

Car-Annabelle xxx

Panache EOTD : Amethyst beauty !

Amethyst pigment (Marcelle minerals) was the one that I loved the more when I swatched it at the warehouse sale last week...It was the one responsible for my failure in the partial make up ban (One simple rule to that ban : Do NOT buy e/s anymore...easy...I ended up buying the pigment in the 6 shades available...if falling, let's just fail with "panache" !)

Quote from Wikipedia : Panache is a word of French origin that carries the connotation of a flamboyant manner and reckless courage

The daylight pic doesn't do justice to the gorgeousness of that pigment : a light purple pigment with a pink hue. I also used Snow pigment in the inner corner...

To give depth to the look I used the dark purple from the W&W Lust palette in the crease and the matte black in the outer V.

The flash picks the sparkles better ....

Mascara : Marcelle Volume precision in black

Liner : a mix between Vortex Violet smoothliner (Annabelle) and Feline khol liner (MAC)

Caro-musketeer of the make up world xxx

Silver pigment from Marcelle : EOTD and Modcloth gorgeousness !

EOTD :

Inner corner : Snow from Marcelle minerals

Lid : Silver from Marcelle minerals

Outer V and crease : shimmery black from the Greed palette (Wet & Wild)

On waterline : Feline eye khôl from MAC

Mascara volume precision from Marcelle in black

Sparkles : awwwwwww, beautiful

in case you missed the awesomeness of that silver : a last pic !

I used Painterly paint pot (MAC) as a primer and Milk Jumbo pencil (NYX) as a base color.

OOTD :

Part 1 :

Un-Twill we meet again dress from Modcloth . That dress is love ...

Part 2 : the color kick !

Red patent belt : Tommy Hilfiger

Red chunky shoes : so old I can't remember where I bought them, the label is erased on the sole...

Red jewelry : Casa Luca

Part 3 : Tights: Spanx in charcoal found at Winners. those are working so well to improve your figure without making you feel like a sausage ...

Part 4 : showing a little bit of a black bra : AGRRRRRRRRRR !

Caro-mad woman xxx

Annabelle warehouse sale : OH MY ....HAUL !

So ...at the beginning of November, I decided to ban some items from my shopping list such as e/s : the following picture is the proof of my complete failure :

Tell me how am I supposed to resist pigments at 2$50 ? And who are you to judge (faking sobs in her voice) ?

As usual my swatches are of mediocre quality but I don't photoshop...

Pigments' description from left to right (Marcelle's minerals)

Amethyst : a gorgeous shimmery lilac with pink undertones (2$50 remember ?)

Snow : a immaculate white, fantastic for the inner corner (2$50 again...)

Silver : obviously a silver metallic pigment (for only 2$50, must I add...)

24 karat : a true gold (the one I 've been searching forever : not orange, not yellow, pure gold for 2$50)

Bronze : a rich copper color completely washed out in the pic (can't believe I picked it for 2$50)

Sapphire : a bright blue, my absolute favorite ( so for 15 $ aka less than a MAC pigment, I have those fantastic colors....)

Liners' description from top to bottom : it's getting even better (1$50 for each items listed below):

Smoky blue Smudgeliner: a dark navy liner infused with black. I can't believe I nearly didn't pick it : it's the same quality as my favorite Smudgeliner (Rich chocolate) and it's a nice alternative to the harshness of black. A definite favorite of mine !

Extra celestial Smudgeliner : a pale teal color. I can't see myself using it now cause it screams summer but we'll see.

Green tease Smudgeliner: a dirty, mossy gold. I used it today on my lower lashline. I's an amazing alternative to a white pencil (I can't wear white on my lower lash line, it looks so fake on me). The golden color just add a pop : the eye looks much more awake !

Envy Smudgeliner : gorgeous olive color. I am a big fan of Olive EOTD and I never found a color like that for a liner. I am so excited to try this one with Club (MAC) : it's his twin in a liner form

I also bought :

- an adorable mini Kabuki fro 25 cents (I should have picked 3-4 of them : it's awesome for the under eye area, the contour of the nose...)

- 2 bottles of Soothing Cleansing Water : it's working as well as my beloved but expensive Bioderma

- 2 mascaras : Volume precision in black is my Holy grail mascara.

- 3 sets of skincare : it was crazy I bought the 2 sets in the plastic boxes for about 10 $ each and a third one was offered for free : I picked the luxurious set with the pretty crocodile look. I am set for the whole year for 9$( price of the green set : hydrating one) + 13 $ (price of the orange set : Hydra C). You have a day cream, a foaming cleanser, an exfoliant and an eye make up remover in the 1st set while in the 2nd you find : a day cream, a night cream, a cleanser and an eye make up remover. In the luxurious set : day cream, eye cream, foaming cleanser and exfoliant. Make the addition : for 22$, it's unbeatable !

- a Haute Gold bronzer back up as I hit pan on my previous one : Holy grail contour bronzer for me !

I went with Gen, a friend and we had a blast : people were amazingly nice over there in spite of the crowd. The Haute Gold bronzer was missing when we arrived but when I asked for it, a sale associate took the time to try and find one for me....There were people all over the place and she took the time to find a 1$50 item for me, I was voiceless (MAC SA , can you note that please ?)

Sad part of the story, Gen said that she will never, ever go to a sale with me cause I stuffed her bag with everything I love from Annabelle-Marcelle and it seemed that I am a very persuasive SA !!! HAha

Have a nice Sunday evening

Caro-bankrupted xxx

OOTD : Lara Croft and EOTD : Pixiwoo's

Yesterday, I HAD to go to the Annabelle Warehouse sale but I was short in time as we had to meet friends for a casual supper later in the day ....

So I decided to pick a comfortable outfit to fight the crowd but I had to glam it up for the night so I put on my new fierce boots :

Jacket : Patrice Breal collection (gift from mum !). I love it : I've been wearing it non stop since I got it. It's in linen, it's kaki, it has gorgeous military details (zippers, metallic buttons...) : what's not to love ?

Shirt : in taupe color from Cassis. I bought the shirt for 5$ last winter at the end of the season. It was on the clearance section and a button was missing (for 5$, I ca sew a button !)

Green military pants : Winners . I am a "dress" girl but sometimes I find some pants that don't make me look like a 10 year old boy so I splurge !

Cream boots : Loooooooooooooove them to death. I fell dangerous and Sexy in those. Winners again for 50 $ ! (because there is a stain the size of an ant on the right calf ! Woop, woop in my cart ...)

Big chunky belt and jewelry : no name brand (offered by mum ...again !)

This 2nd pic was taken by hubby discovering a new passion : fashion photographer. He was quite into it, yelling orders : walk, turn, spin, jump ...(Jump ???? in heels ???)

So I obeyed like a nice little wife I am and walked...

Last pic of the outfit : just for the pleasure of showing off my beloved boots !

Make up now ! I copied this look from Pixiwoo. I am such a big fans of the sisters, they are so amazing ...

Products used :

MAC fluidline in rich ground as a base

Sleek palette in Storm for e/S

Marcelle Volume Precision in Black

Annabelle smoothliner in rich chocolate

Rimmel vintage pink on lips

Caro- Lara Croft xxx

PS : lot of damages done at the Annabelle warehouse sale (I went a little bit crazy...). Post is coming soon with swatches ...

Greed EOTD : Wet & Wild palette

EOTD : Greed palette from Wet & Wild

Colors I used :

pale shimmery purple color all over the lid

black shimmery color : outer V and crease

peach matte color : to blend

beige matte (top of the palette) : Highlight

a whole look with a single palette : hooray !

Dupe alert again for MAC :

Carbon : the black matte

Black tied : shimmery black

Samoa silk : matte peach (but I don't have it so it's just a guess !)

Vex : shimmery purple-grey (again a guess but pay off is VERY bad so I wouldn't consider it a good dupe)

feline khôl liner (MAC) and Mascara Marcelle Volume precision in black were used. Nobody was injured in this particular sequence of events...

FOTD :

Annabelle Skin true foundation

Annabelle Zebra bronzer

NYX Angel blush

Brow-zing in dark from Benefit for the brows

JOTD :

earrings from ten thousand villages

little black Onyx elephant given by Vicky

First impressions on the Greed palette :

The bad : The pay off in 2 colors is really poor : the shimmery peach and the shimmery pale grey-purple . It's a shame cause they look gorgeous in the pan.

The good : ...But if you don't have Carbon (MAC) or Black Tied (MAC), it's definitively worth it for the price of the palette... I like the matte peach color and I don't have nothing looking like this particular color in my collection so it's a nice addition. The highlight matte color is interesting because I tend to use paler colors. I noticed that using a "darker" highlight was good to "warm" my look (in this case a very dark smokey...Nice find !)

Caro-dark knight xxx

True blue, baby I love you !

I had my "Madonna" moment here , remembering that I listened to this album to death when I was a teen

I am still enjoying my Wet and Wild palette a lot (Vanity)...but to keep me from boredom, I added a splash of blue on the waterline.

I used a MUFE pencil then I dabbed a blue Color from the Aquamarine NYX trio and blended with my pencil-brush to smudge the color under my lower waterline. I was a nice way to invigorate a neutral look without looking like a Barbie on crack (expression stolen from Robyn ! Hello, doll...)

The gigantic lashes are courtesy of Marcelle Volume Precision Mascara . I finished the bunch of mascaras that I gathered like crazy and went back to my old love ..."I feel good doudoudoudoudou" like James Brown would sing

Caro in a musical mood today xxx

Favorites of the month : MAY !

Bath product : hum shower product in fact ! The Viva la Juicy shower gel...I normally don't buy products derivated from a perfume that I wear, but when the whole bunch (shower gel, body lotion and perfume) costs less the the perfume itself....I know this sounds a little bit ridiculous as I am 35 and Juicy couture target is probably teen-girls or women in their early 2os but I adore the 2 perfumes I got from this make. The shower gel is really faithful to the smell of the perfume, the texture is delicious (quite thick) and it melts in the skin in a luxurious foam...yum yum ! Cost : offered when purchasing the 50 ml perfume (as well as the body lotion...me liking freebies!)

Shampoo : Lush one, Cynthia la belle brune. The fragrance can surprise, the SA gave me a sample advising me against it. Frankly, I don't like the smell but it doesn't bother me that much neither (best proof ever, I purchased the gigantic size!). With the conjunction of BIG shampoo and Cynthia shampoo, I saw a dramatic change in how healthy my hair looks like. I am hooked (and I have 2 samples of conditioners that the SA gave me and I like both of them equally too...LUSH , you got me !). It costs 27.95 $ but you use a 25 cents amount and you rediscover your healthy hair long disappeared...worth it ? (oh yeah !)

Skin products :

1- St Ives Timeless skin daily micro dermabrasion : I know some of you find those products too harsh, I know dermatologists speak against this make but I like it ....I am still using the toothbrush method to deeply clean my skin (toothbursh is my cheap option to a clarisonic device). The combo made a change in the way my skin looks like. I got rid of those little bumps under the skin that made my skin uneven....I am sold ! I can't remember the price but I' d say it costs less than 5$...

2- Marcelle New age anti wrinkle eye and lip : You know that I can't get enough of my Marcelle-Annabelle products. For the record, If you want to know where both makes stand, Marcelle would be the older sister of Annabelle ! I used to buy eye cream without any enthusiasm before : just something that you need but doesn't change that much the way you look. This product made me change my mind ! I don't know how to describe the "comfort" it gives to my under-eye-area ?! the pump delivers just the right amount of a creamy-whipped product. When I wake up in the morning my under eye area looks brightened and fuller (less dreadful dark deep circles). As a consequence, I noticed that my wrinkles seemed less harsh. this product was offered to me but I swear, I'll be repurchasing it...

Make up items :

1- Mascarassssssssssssss : I 'll say it over and over again. Marcelle mascaras are ZE BOMB. period. I was offered the Ultimate Lash Mascara in Navy (I am sporting it in my lats EOTD) and I always repurchase the Volume Precision as it's my HG product.....Suggested retail price of the Volume precision is 11.95 $, but you can easily find it less than 10 $ in your favorite drugstore depending on the sales they have...

2- Rimmel lipstick in Vintage Pink : it became my bag-lipstick. It's just my lips in better, it goes with every eye make up. It's darker than my beloved Power from NYX so easier to wear. A stapple dusty pink in a lipstick collection IMO. And it costed me 3.99 $ !

3- Annabelle Zebra Bronzer : if you read Canadian blogs, the community is buzzing about this little gem. I use it as a contour and it replaced my Revlon bronzer in my heart. I like that it's buildable, not crazily glittery. I am very pale and it's not too dark for me, it gives you a sheen without you looking like a discoball. I use it at the top of my forehead, side of the nose, under the cheekbones that I don't have and I look healthy even if I lack some hours of rested sleep. A keeper for 10.95 $! it was offered to me by Annabelle representatives but I ' ll happily repurchase it if needed (which I doubt will happen soon as I use it like crazy and you can't even see a dent in it !)

Hope this can be helpfull to you , lovelies

Caro-ready to head to the gym and absolutely non motivated xxx

a blue cloud and twisted hair !

a very simple cream and navy eyelook using my sleek palettes. I decided to go down all the "blue" way , using navy eyeliner ( a Covergirl one that is awesome but sadly discontinued) and navy mascara (Marcelle Ultimate lash in navy) which I 'll try to convince you to buy as it's AWESOME ! here we go ....

The color on the lashes doesn't show on the pics but I find the blue color a nice alternative to my usual black. It's not a "in your face " electric blue, more a dark marine color. I think I'll definitively re-use it when I 'll do a blue eyelook from now on....This product was offered to me by Marcelle-Annabelle representatives and I was very happy to try it as I wouldn't have spend the money on a blue mascara. I guess I am still traumatized by an old aunt who was wearing electric blue mascara on spider lashes YUK ! Will I repurchase it with my own money once it 's dried out ? YES, I will ....Why :

1-I like the color: it's an easy way to go out of a "comfort zone" AKA black mascara without looking like a Barbie on crack (blinking at Robin there !)

2-As my Volume precision mascara (Marcelle again), the quality of both the brush and the formula is amazing. I always find other mascaras to be too pasty (so hello clumps) or too watery (hello spots on my eyelids ruining my blended e/s). With this mascara, you have the perfect balance of a formula that you can spread easily without dreading the transfers on the lids

3-It's a drugstrore product so price is easily affordable if you wait for it to be in sale

So interested ? Would I be a convincing SA ?....

Caro-still very happy with her haircut that makes her hair so manageable xxx

April's favorites ? All time favorites reviews !

So As I had a post about hate yesterday...I decided to be full of love today! So here are my favorite products. Don't get too excited, though ! Nothing is brand new, nothing is limited edition. It is just products that :
1- I use on a VERY regular basis
2- Never disappoint me
3- I will repurchase once finished

LUSH big shampoo : Short and sweet nails is the one to blame here....She speaks highly about LUSH, so I had to take a look and came back with this strange E.T shampoo made of salt. For 1 month, I've been using it 2 times a week with the RETREAD conditioner on my very damaged long hair. What a change !!!! Shinny hair, where were you during all this years ? I was used to buy shampoo on sale as I use tons of them, but I'll be happily spending my money again on the combo retread-big once finished....FANTASMABULOUS !

Juicy couture perfume : May be you can't recognise the bottle as I decapitated the charm at the top to make it a necklace (isn't MUA a crafty girl ?). I did the same to my Viva La Juicy bottle (Don't bother, I did that to my Barbie dolls once a kid, it 's kind of a tradition too me !). Those 2 fragrances smells gorgeous. I prefer the original version but both smells amazing. Both are really girly perfumes so if you want more mature scents just go away , they are not for you !

Favorite lip combo : the weird and purple-pink Power from NYX topped with the Sephora gloss in precious pink: swatched there. It's the nuder I can go on my lips without looking like a corpse...The gloss has a strange and very strong scent though, so swatch it on your hand if you head to Sephora cause it can be overwhelming.

Favorite mascara : Marcelle Volume precision. This mascara is perfection : it elongates and gives volume. It never clumps even if you layer it over and over again. It's holy grail material...But you know that if you read me on a regular basis and this is why , I put in in my give away...to share the LOVE !

Favorite powder : Annabelle powder foundation. this is a mineral foundation , so on my lazy days, I just put my primer on (Monistat chaffing gel)and spread the powder over it with a flat top brush. The coverage is awesome for a powder foundation...The other way to use it is dabbed over my liquid foundation as a setting powder with a Kabuki brush. As I said in a previous post, I received compliments on my skin last month...Each time, I was wearing this powder ! Coincidence ? I don't care ! It became a staple product for me as soon as I made the connection...You can see how it works there. The girl is pretty good to explain but the guy holding the camera is sneezing and coughing all video long, it makes me laugh...(I am easy to entertain!)

Favorite e/s : Graffiti from Annabelle. A stunning black e/s infused with sparkles.Easy to blend, perfect in the outer V to glam a smokey eye. It is given in my give away too and swatched there. In fact, I love all Annabelle e/s ...

Hope this will be helpful for my Canadian readers. For the US bloggers, come across the border, we are fun people and we have great make up. For my European lovelies, Canada is wonderful to discover in summer (hollidays anyone ?)

Caro-raving about her goodies xxx

PS : disclaimer : The Annabelle powder was won in a contest so I didn't pay for it...but I will repurchase if I run out so it qualifies to my rules at the beginning. Marcelle is a cosmetic brand affiliated to Annabelle. And Annabelle sent me free products to review (Still following me ?). But, I purchased this mascara with my own money and will continue if big authorities have nothing against that (Capiche ?). Annabelle e/s were also purchased with my own money...I swear , spit and everything that this review is honest !

GIve away on MUA !

I was supposed to wait for 50 followers...But I can't resist ! I started this blog to practice my english, to have my own little secret garden (ME-Myself and I hahaha) and I am so happy I did...I met so many nice persons in the make up world, I am amazed ! So, as It's just a guilty pleasure for me, I wanted to give back a little love, so without further ado, to the gifts...I wanted to give it a personal kick, so here we go :

Mascara : Marcelle volume precision in Black. It's my HG mascara : it's dark, it doesn't clump, never flakes. It gives length and volume. I could talk about this single item for hours ....
Eye liner : Annabelle smudgeliner in black. I personally never use the smudging tip because I use a pencil brush to smooth my eyeliner but feel free to do otherwise. I have this liner in brown and I swear by it because even though it's easy to spread it and to smudge it , it doesn't go everywhere (Can you hear me feline Khol liner ????)
Palette : It's just Annabelle colors and the palette to fit them in. I chose a purple color : Purple Reine (Who doesn't like purple....silence following the question), whipped (you need an highlighter in your palette and this one looks like a vanilla Chantilly !), Graffity (my favorite black of all times, a black infused with little sparkles), B-Ray (a classic navy blue which pigmentation is unbeatable)
Pigments: I sampled my own collection (part of it). Vanilla pigment from MAC (description not really needed I guess), Myth from Annabelle (a complex taupe color infused with holographic shimmer, it's BEAUTY), Violet Vibe from Annabelle (again, who doesn't like purple ???), Greed from Annabelle (a bold matte green color), Copper from GOSH (like liquid metal on the lids) and Rosewood from GOSH (a stunning red with a pink hue in it, like a Cranberry !)

To enter this INTERNATIONAL contest, you must :
- be 18 or older
- be a follower
- leave a comment as original as ENTER ME but You can be more classic and just say how fantasmabulous I am ....
- do all of this before the 15th of may at 24h00 in Montreal.

No multiple entries for lobbying for my blog on Twitter , Facebook or your own blog, just do it if you feel like it...But your love for me needs to be pure HAHA...and frankly, I don't want to make it something complicated (lazy, lazy....)

Good luck my lovelies !

Caro-Santa Claus of the day xxx