Annabelle TwistUp Retractable Lipstick Crayon - Cherry, Monroe, Vamp

I've been meaning to try the Annabelle version of the ubiquitous lipstick pencil for a while now, so when these press samples popped up in my mailbox, I was delighted. The retro-feeling and autumn-ready shades were the proverbial cherry on top!

The Annabelle TwistUp Rretractable Lip Crayons already came in a broad range of shades, and the brand recently expanded with five new Vivid shades (Bazooka Pink, Fuchsianista, Plump It Up, Sorbet, Orange Pop), three Nudes (Naked, Romance, Havana), two reds (Monroe and Red Carpet) and two Bordeaux shades (Cherry and Vamp).

I was able to try Cherry, Monroe and Vamp.

These are billed as lipstick and lipliner in one, with a hydrating formula and creamy, comfortable texture. They contain rapeseed oil and shea butter for their nourishing and repairing properties.

I found that these were indeed wonderfully hydrating, much more so than I expected from a lip crayon of this type. They felt creamier and richer going on that the more balmy-feeling Revlon Just Bitten pencils, with a more significant pigment punch. They are pretty close to opaque, with some degree of translucency - yet without any sheerness, if that makes any sense. Like incredibly rich stained glass, which completely masks the colour behind it, yet still allows the light to shine through. A neat effect.

I didn't have any bleeding with these, but because they are so creamy, I had to take a little care when using them as lipliner. The application was so smooth that it was almost too easy to go outside the lipline. That said, I really liked how precise I could be.

The wear on these was slightly longer than a regular creamy lipstick, but they are not long-wearing. They do leave a stain behind, though that might be particular to these red/deep shades.

These can be applied in various ways for different looks - straight on, dabbed on for a lighter effect, applied, blotted, reapplied for a deep stain.

Top to bottom: Cherry, Monroe, Vamp

The colours that were provided are just stunning.

Cherry is a medium-dark, blue-toned red, exactly the right shade for a Snow White effect with lighter skin. It had the strongest pigmentation of the three.

Monroe is evocative of its namesake. A bright, light red with a strong coral undertone. It's almost the lipstick version of OPI's So Hot It Berns nail polish. Beautifully retro and totally wearable. This was slightly sheerer.

Vamp is a deep muted burgundy, with a slight brown undertone. It's sexy, powerful, and ever so slightly 90s to me. This felt the most balmy, not quite as creamy, though the difference was minute.

Availability: At most drugstores, as well as www.annabelle.ca. Price is 9.95$ CAD.

Pros: Rich pigmentation, hydrating, creamy feeling, very smooth application. Convenient lipstick and lip pencil hybrid format.

Cons: Because of the creamy texture, a little patience is advised when it comes to using these as lipliner, and they are not as effective in terms of creating a barrier effect as a more dry-textured, matte lip pencil would be.

(These items were provided by the brand/PR to consider for review. This post is not sponsored or compensated.)

Annabelle Quad (Quatuor) Eyeshadow - Chai Chai Chai

If I were to go back (waaaaayyyyy back) in time to the beginnings of my makeup obsession passion,  Annabelle would be front and center. This Montreal native brand was the go-to for a lot of girls like me who started out wearing a little shimmer shadow surreptitiously swept on the eyelid. The budget-friendly price point held a lot of appeal as well. Fast-forward a couple of decades, and Annabelle is still completely awesome, and the Gleam eyeshadow remains one of my favourite highlighter shades.

They recently came out with a range of Eyeshadow Quads, and I was especially taken by the tester of Chai Chai Chai at the display. It swatched SO beautifully. It was also on sale for about 8$ - for 4 nice-sized eyeshadows. Um...it was basically begging to come home with me.

Does the packaging remind you of the Sephora Colorful Palettes? Minus one eyeshadow and about 20$, of course. And with significantly nicer textures and payoff than I've generally found in the Sephora versions. The plastic casing is simple and basic, and my palette did have a tendency of sticking, needing a bit of force to pop it open. I don't know if that's unusual though.

The shades all work well together and should look amazing with blue eyes. The light bronze is a nice crease shade, but also makes for a good base colour if you want to do a simple day look. The peachy orange is lovely for punching up a warm-toned look.

From bottom left corner, counter-clockwise through the palette.

Yep. Smooth, almost creamy, with excellent pigmentation - everything I would want from an eyeshadow, and for a decent price. All three shades have a similar shimmer finish. I had no issues applying these - no fallout, same pan-to-lid intensity and good wear overall. There was a bit of fading around the 8-9 hour mark, visible mostly around the base of the lashes, but no creasing.

I know that bronze shades, especially shimmery ones, tend to have the best payoff and textures across the board, so I'm not surprised this palette was selected to be the tester in the display. Seeing the great quality here, I'm very tempted to get at least a couple of the others in the series.

Availability: At most drugstores, as well as www.annabelle.ca. Suggested price is 10.95$ but can vary by store and sale pricing.

Pros: Great texture, fantastic payoff, easy blending and application. Colours work perfectly together. Very nice value for the amount and quality of the product.

Cons: Packaging is is a little hard to open for whatever reason.

(I purchased this item at Pharmaprix.)

Annabelle CC Colour Control Instant Perfecting Base and Pressed Powder

If you thought BB creams were a craze, just wait for the storm of CC creams to flood the market. Promising to deliver all the skincare benefits in a lighter finish formula, plus colour correcting properties, they're set to become the summer's biggest thing.

I admit to being late to the BB party, but most of the ones I have sampled have ranged from good to absolutely terrific, so I was very eager to try the next step forward in the skincare/makeup hybrid evolution. Luckily, I was offered a chance to test the CC Colour Control Instant Perfecting Base from Annabelle Cosmetics - a drugstore option for those looking to dip their toes into a new product type, without sacrificing their wallets for the privilege of being an early adopter.

I have to say I was fairly confused by the product at first. With the words "colour correcting" in the name, I assumed a CC cream would actually have more coverage than a BB might offer. Since the North American versions of BB creams tend to have coverage equivalent to a tinted moisturizer, I assumed a CC cream would be akin to a medium level foundation, if not more. Sort of a concealer, in a featherweight formula. After consulting with my contact at Annabelle, and reading up online, I realized I was expecting the wrong thing - the purpose of a CC cream is not to offer coverage, per se, but to correct the overall tone and texture of the skin. The effect is meant to be both immediate and long-term with consistent use. The Annabelle CC Base in particular is meant to neutralize redness and the look of a dull and uneven complexion, reduce the appearance of pores and fine lines, and act as a primer for makeup.

My experience is that it does most of this very well. I do have a significant amount of redness in my cheeks, and I felt like this did not mute that colour as much as I would prefer, at least not in comparison to the Marcelle BB cream that I reviewed previously. For me personally, I need more coverage than the neutralizing effect offers. That said, there was an overall diffusing effect that smoothed and brightened my complexion, and visibly improved the tone of the skin. I think if you have significant discolouration you will probably need to reach for some kind of concealing product as well, but this does create the look of more even skin. And while it has a slight tint, there is no perceptible pigment left on the skin, which means that it is truly universal. I found it helpful to think of the difference between staining a fence and painting it. One changes the overall tone and texture while allowing the natural grain and base shade to show through, while the other covers the latter to a significant degree.

Below is a swatch of the Base unblended, and then blended into the skin.

It has a very lightweight texture that disappears into the skin - there's no heavy, overly slick or faux-powdery silicone feel, just silky-smooth skin. My pores and fine lines were indeed blurred, and overt shine was taken down a notch without creating an overly matte finish. I do recommend making sure skin is exfoliated, because dry, flaky patches will get picked up. This was lovely primer under makeup, keeping my foundation from seeping into my pores as the day passed. I also liked that it didn't interfere with the satin finish I prefer for my foundation.

What I did find odd is that there is no sunscreen. Something claiming to correct skin colour falls a little short for me if it doesn't address the primary cause of unevenness in skin texture and tone.

I also had the chance to test the matching CC Colour Control Pressed Powder, which carries similar claims for neutralizing redness and dull skin, while caring for skin with antioxidants and vitamin E. The coverage is light and the finish is demi-matte - it takes down shine, but allows the skin to retain some natural luminosity. I believe the white strip actually has a very faint sheen that helps to maintain some of that glow. The powder itself is smooth and finely milled, and blends well into the skin. It can be worn by itself for some shine-control and light blurring, over the Base for a finished look with natural coverage, or to set your regular foundation without having an over-powdered look.

 Below is a swatch of the base colour and the white stripe, and then the two blended together.

Availability: At most drugstores, including Pharmaprix/SDM and Jean Coutu. Prices vary, about 15-18$.

Pros: Base has a lightweight texture, diffusing effect on skin texture and tone,  and is a nice primer, particularly for preventing seeping into pores. Overall, this works more like a primer-with-benefits than anything else. Powder has a fine texture and a finish that controls shine and looks natural.

Cons: Some confusion over what the "colour correcting" function is - if you are expecting significant reduction in skin discolouration or redness, this will not match up to your needs. Dry patches need to be prepped or they will be emphasized. Lack of sunscreen in both products.

(The items were sent to me by the brand to consider for review. This post is not sponsored or compensated.)

Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil - Down 2 Earth

Can I tell you how much I love Annabelle cosmetics? THISMUCH. An affordable, Canadian-made (and Montreal-based!), fashion-forward makeup brand is impossible to resist.

Where my American friends probably remember their first makeup purchases being Wet'n'Wild (also one of those drugstore brands that is kicking ass and taking names these days), mine was Annabelle. I still remember my Gleam eyeshadow!

I recently picked up one of their Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencils from a limited edition display, intrigued both by their similarity to the Urban Decay 24/7 pencils and their decidedly more attractive price tag.

This is the Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil in shade Down 2 earth:

Isn't it the prettiest olive green shimmer ever? 

In indirect light.

In direct artificial lighting.

The color is gorgeous. I am a HUGE fan of this color. It's just the most perfect olive green with golden shimmer. 

It's also a really versatile little pencil. The texture is extremely soft, so it can be applied directly to the whole lid without fear of tugging or discomfort, and the creamy consistency allows for easy smudging and sheering out. It can be worn by itself, or as a base for powder eyeshadow. It's not water-proof, but you will need an oil-based remover to get this off cleanly. 

Worn over a primer (which is how I normally wear any eye product, due to my oily lids), this held up well for a regular workday, with no noticeable shift in texture. Without a primer, it smudged  and had some creasing after about 4 hours. For a somewhat different experience, check out how Rae from The Notice felt about it. 

It's similar to the Tarte SmolderEYES in feel, and is the same size - 1.6 grams. 

To give you an idea of how it compares to some other olive green/bronze eyeshadow pencils and eyeliners.

From left to right:
Annabelle Smoothie in Down 2 Earth, Tarte SmolderEYES in Moss and Olive, Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Intense Olive, Stila Smudge Stick in Moray, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Stash, Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in Bronze.

After trying out Down 2 Earth, I am going to have to add more shades to my stash!

Availability: Any drugstore that carries Annabelle, listed here. It was a limited edition, so may be difficult to find, but I still spotted some this week on display. Price is 8.95$ CAD, but that can vary slightly with individual store and promotions.

Pros: Inexpensive, gorgeous color, easy to use, multiple functions, creamy-feeling and gentle in application.

Cons: With the super-soft formula, this can crease or migrate on some people due to either eyelid shape or oiliness. I would recommend a primer as a base, and setting with eyeshadow for optimum longevity.

(I purchased this from Jean Coutu.)