Dior Cool Wave Summer 2018 ~ Review + Swatches

It's been a long time since I fell in love with a makeup collection. The beauty community is saturated with new releases, and rarely are they overly awe inspiring. Obviously I buy into the hype, but I haven't felt any sort of way until Dior released their Glow Addict Collection for spring 2018 (review here). And then came the sneak peaks for their summer collection.

The heat of the sun and an indigo pool, the clash between hot and cold, sensuality fusing with the skin.

Dior's Cool Wave Collection encompasses the best of summer. Beautiful blues tease excitement of early summer dips in the pool, while the bronze hues are reminiscent of late summer drinks on a patio. This seasons 5 Couleurs Palettes features a pattern inspired by the ripple of a drop hitting the surface of the water.

Splashed with Cool Down, a harmonious combination of blues, the eyes show off a free, sun-drenched femininity. Turqoise, midnight-blue, pastel blue and denim tones blend easily together and offer a surprisingly natural contrast with the golden glow of summer skin.

5 Couleurs 367 Cool Down* ($73) is a real beauty! The top two shades are designed for day looks, while the bottom two are reserved for more intense, or evening, looks. Like all 5 Couleurs, the shadow formula is pigmented, long wearing and versatile. To amp up the pigment, I like to apply it wet, over primer. It's important to note that the top right shade is sheer and is more of a highlighter shade. This palette is surprisingly wearable and so different from what we've seen in eyeshadow palettes lately. If you like blue, then you will love this!

On the other side, the sun shines bright on Heat Up, the palette of luminous brown, coral and nude shades.

5 Couleurs 597 Heat Up is a warm toned, summer dream come true! This gorgeous palette is everything - and then some! The shades suit my fair skin now and they will look even better once I get my faux tan on. The shadows are super buttery and the looks I can get out of it are pure love 😍

Diorshow Cooling Stick* ($41) is a splash on the eyes. This waterproof eyeshadow is available in three shades (001 Bronze Wave, 002 Gold Splash and 003 Fresh Pink) and can be used as a liner or allover shadow.

It's hard to describe the feel of this shadow. It's creamy but not so creamy that you couldn't use it as a liner. When applied there is an instant feeling of freshness and coolness - perfect for my tired eyes! I reach for this when I'm low on time and want a simple but beautiful eye look. Freshness aside, the best feature of Diorshow Cooling Stick is how well and long it wears for - I can get a whole days wear without primer! And when it's time to remove, a simple swipe with eye makeup remover is all it takes.

A concentrate of Dior and a palette in summer shades. Standing out from the crowd thanks to its hydra-gel core, Dior Addict Lipstick embraces an epicurean season with essential colours: an effervescent orange, a bronze nude, a sensual coral a graceful pink, a dizzying fuchsia and a blue-toned shimmery shade.

Dior Addict Lipstick in 040 White Splash* ($44)   is such a fun lipstick! It offers the shine of a gloss with the comfort and feel of a lipstick. The blue undertones make my teeth appear whiter and it clashes delightfully with my faux tanned skin. Plus it's super pretty to look at!

Dior's Lip Maximizer* ($42) has been my go to lip plumper for years. It shines like a gloss and fills in my lip lines causing my lips to appear smoother. This is what gives off the appearance of a youthful pout. The Cool Wave collection sees the Lip Maximizer we know and love get an icy blue makeover! Don't worry though - it doesn't look blue on the lips. Sure, it has a slight blue tone when applied, just enough to make my teeth look whiter, but not enough to make my lips look blue. If you want a non-sticky, glossy lip that looks full (sans the burning feeling) then you need to try Dior's Lip Maximizer.

A tattoo finish lip ink with a no-transfer and an extreme 10 hour hold. Highlighting the lips natural colour, Dior Lip Tattoo brings out a luminous smile.

Dior Addict Lip Tattoo* ($37) has been a favourite of mine, so naturally I got excited when I learned that they were adding some summer exclusives. Just like the original, Dior's Lip Tattoo provides a beautiful tint that doesn't dry out my lips. 571 Cranberry is a stunning rosewood shade that looks and smells delightful. Lip Tattoo has a very watery feel to it that just feels good - especially on a hot summer day. I'm all about no-fuss, comfortable lippies these days and I love stains for their ease of use. I definitely don't get 10 hours wear out of these, closer to 5 or 6, but that's totally fine by me!

"For a summer synonymous with playfulness and freedom, I wanted to come out with a collection of bright nail colours that women can use to express their creativity and personality." - Peter Philips

Enriched with a pearly shimmer that catches the sunlight, sexy like a bikini and fun like a pop song. Dior Vernis ($34) rounds out the Cool Wave collection exquisitely. I was able to get my hands on 404 Splash from Beauty Boutique and I am so glad it did - this shade is stunning!

I am so smitten with Dior's Cool Wave Collection and I'm trying so hard not to buy the whole damn thing. If you like what you see, then you need to run (not walk) before it's gone for good.

You can find Dior's Cool Wave Collection in store and online at thebay.com , Shoppers Drug Mart and beautyboutique.com and at Dior counters nationwide.

*This post features a mix of pr samples and products purchased by me. PR samples are marked with an asterisk. As always, all opinions are my own.

wet n wild perfectpout Gel Lip Liners & megalast Liquid Catsuit ~ Review + Swatches

Do you wear lip liner? I own at least a dozen, but I rarely reach for them. I find most lip liners to be too dry and cumbersome to apply. And frankly, I'm just too lazy to bother sometimes. I've been making an effort to line my lips lately, and the new wet n wild perfectpout Gel Lip Liners are making me actually want to do it.

Wet n wild claims that the perfectpout Gel Lip Liners deliver a seamless, flawless application with no tugging and no dragging. They also claim to deliver never-ending color that goes on for days. Pretty big claims for a lip liner that costs $4 pencil! So do they perform as well as they claim?

Short answer, yes!

These lip pencils are ultra creamy and pigmented. They glide across my lips with ease and absolutely no dragging. But colour that lasts for days? No way. They are definitely long wearing, but they don't last me more than 4 or 5 hours. Tops. The only downside to these is that they're almost too creamy, meaning that it could be hard to get a sharp line. Luckily, I'm not a fan of sharp lines.

Since we're talking lips, might as well talk about wet n wild's Megalast Liquid Catsuit. These liquid lips are available in quite a few shades and cost roughly $7 CAD. I have the shades Coral Corruption and Pink Really Hard. Both are stunning shades for the spring/summer. They have a doe foot applicator that has a bowl shaped reservoir to hold the lipstick and each tube holds a generous amount of lipstick. I find application fairly straightforward, although I do find that Pink Really Hard is a bit thicker and slightly harder to spread.

When first applied, megalast Liquid Catsuit appears glossy but dries down to a matte finish within a few minutes. It transfers a bit, but stays intact for the most part. It can hold its own against drinking and light eating, lasting a solid 5 hours before it starts to dry out. I find the formula a tad bit drying, and the longer I wear it the worse it gets. It will start to crumble after extended wear. It's not as bad as it sounds and a little lip prep goes a long way.  For the price, I'm not complaining.

In all honesty, I can see myself purchasing the Liquid Catsuit but not the Gel Lip Liners. It's not that I don't like them, I'm just not a huge fan of lip liners in general.

You can find these products in store at Rexall, online at well.ca and wetnwildbeauty.com

*pr samples were generously provided for editorial consideration. As always, all opinions are my own.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick In Carina ~ Review + Swatches

As a liquid lipstick junkie, I'm embarrased to admit that I only recently tried Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick. For some reason, Stila is a brand I haven't gravitated towards. After trying their All-In-One Color Correcting Palette (review here) and the Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick, that has definitely changed!

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick (3ml, $31) is a highly-pigmented liquid lipstick that boasts a wear time of up to 6 hours. It's enriched with Vitamin E and Avocado Oil for hydration and is free of parabens, sulfates, phlatates, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals, GMOs and triclosan.

It's available in 25 shades from bolds to nudes and mattes to shimmers. The shade I'm reviewing is Carina - a matte, vibrant coral!

When it comes to lipstick I'm a sucker for reds, oranges and corals so naturally I was drawn to this shade. The formula is so pigmented, creamy and very opaque - it's a one (swipe) and done lipstick!

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick indeed stays in place all day with minimal transfer. It can withhold drinking and light snacking but if you eat anything oily, it will start to break down. I've managed to get close to 8 hours of wear time which is quite impressive considering the amount of coffee I consume in a day! I did find that it will start to feel a bit dry once it passes the 4 hour mark - not uncommon for liquid lipsticks. It definitely helps to exfoliate and moisturize prior to applying it.

If you're a fan of liquid lipstick, I highly recommend you check these out! The pigment is great and not having to constantly reapply is priceless.

You can find Stila in-store at Shoppers Drug Mart, Murale and Sephora & online at Sephora.ca and beautyBOUTIQUE.ca

*A PR sample was provided for editorial consideration. As always, all opinions are my own!