Burberry Haul at the Clarins Warehouse Sale

 Montreal has its flaws (political corruption, insane construction, blistering winters), but it more than steps up when it comes to warehouse sales. For beauty brands, we get l'Oréal, Guerlain (assuming you are willing to brave the 3 hour line), Clarins, Lise Watier and Annabelle/Marcelle.

The Clarins sale isn't my favourite, since it tends to be heavy on the skincare and fragrance, light on the makeup. (See my review from the Spring sale here.) That's why I nearly fell over when I saw what they had at this last Fall sale - namely, Burberry Beauty.

Oh yes. Much flailing ensued. They didn't have a ton from the range: four foundations, two of the bronzers, a handful of eyeshadows, about a dozen lipsticks, one eyeliner and a sad blonde mascara that no one even looked at. Still, I found it hard to parse out what I truly wanted from what I felt like I should get, based on the price alone. I'll admit that my restraint was not based on moral fortitude, but on the fact that I already splurged a bit at the Nordstrom counter when I was Stateside last month. (Reviews for those items forthcoming!)

I ended up getting Sheer Eyeshadow in Midnight Blue and Midnight Plum, Lip Cover in Blush, Cameo and Deep Burgundy. No reviews, as I have not worn them yet, but I thought you might like to see  some pictures and quick swatches?

Midnight Plum and Midnight Blue

Midnight Blue and Midnight Plum. Natural and artificial light.

Midnight Blue and Midnight Plum. Artificial light.

Blush.

Cameo, Blush, Dark Burgundy.

Cameo, Blush, Dark Burgundy. Natural and artificial light.

Cameo, Blus, Dark Burgundy. Artificial light.

I gotta say, Burberry makes a great first impression. The quality is obvious from the start, just in the feel of these. The packaging is incredibly elegant and swanky, with the Burberry check and the magnetic closures.

I can't locate my receipt, but I remember the eyeshadows being 15$, and the lipsticks were either 15$ or 20$. I just checked the pricing on the Burberry Canada site, and it is 30$ for the Sheer Eyeshadows, 40$ for the Lip Covers. 

So...next year? Anyone willing to brave the lines?

Giorgio Armani and YSL Friends and Family "Preview" Sales

It's that time of year. Yup.

Lise Watier Quatuor Millésime - Les Vins Palette

Aiiiee! How is it NOVEMBER already?? I am not ready for winter, and snow, and the horrible, horrible darkness.

Instead, allow me to clutch onto the remaining bits of fall, starting with the Les Vins palette from the Lise Watier Millésime collection. It's the less stereotypically autumnal of the two palettes in this collection, making it a great transitional palette into *shudder* winter.

I am a really big fan of the Lise Watier eyeshadow formula. With few exceptions, it is dense, pigmented, well-wearing and blendable. Les Vins is par for the course. 

All of the shades are excellent, not a stinker among them. They all have a shimmer finish, so if you are looking for an all-around type of palette, this is probably not it. The colors are so lovely, though,  I can't be bothered to care. Truth be told, you can create a variety of looks with these four shades, ranging from a simple wash of the taupe shade for everyday, to a seriously smoked-out indigo eye.

As a taupe-lover, I am thrilled by the beauty in this quad. It may look uninspiring in the pan, but it morphs in different light, pulling grey, mauve and even gold.

The pale, peach-leaning gold is more basic, but nonetheless a terrific highlighter shade.

The plum is also unassuming in the pan, but the interplay of the red-violet shimmer and smoky base raise it to another level.

My only real disappointment is the navy shade - and that's only because the pan is small. It is SO pretty, a navy with royal blue and violet shimmer dusted throughout.

Natural light.

Artificial light.

Sunlight.

Sunlight, slightly out of focus to show shimmer in the plum and navy shades.

Availability: At Pharmaprix/SDM, Jean Coutu, and The Bay. If you can no longer find it in-store, www.lisewatier.com still has the fall collection available, as well as several items from previous collections. (They now also ship to the US!) Price is 36$ CAD.

Pros: Smooth, rich pigmentation, dense texture, and gorgeous, complex colors. 

Cons: None that I can think of.

(I purchased this item from Pharmaprix.)