SKINCARE | Battle of the 5 Cleansing Balms

Press samples marked with "*"

I am actually quite surprised that I haven't done a cleansing balm roundup before because I use them CONSTANTLY! As a staunch double cleanser, I generally use either a cleansing oil or balm as my first cleanse, but for about the last year and half, it has been cleansing balms! I started reviewing these five cleansing balms today last year and since then, I have so many more to add so it looks like this"battle" will be continued soon!

MAKEUP | Quo Cosmetics Lip Velours with Lip Swatches

More matte lips, you say? Well, ok then! I have more awesomeness from Quo Cosmetics with six new shades from their Lip Velours collection. At this point, I think we have all tried a few matte lipstick formulations and I remember when long-lasting and matte meant discomfort and lips that were crying out for help! Thankfully, this is no longer the case and we can now wear intensely beautiful shades with ease.

The Quo Lip Velours ($14.00 CDN) apply as a liquid and transform into matte, cream-looking, finish. They are long wearing, transfer-proof and of course have mega pigmentation. I don't think I have ever seen a matte finish that wasn't pigmented. I don't even think it's doable really.

The one thing that makes the Lip Velours different from other matte liquid lipsticks is that the applicator is an actual brush as opposed to a doe foot applicator. The brush is supposed to make application more accurate, but I found it to be about the same. If anything, the slanted edge of the doe foot applicator is helpful to have. 

What seems to be a running theme with the matte liquid lipsticks/creams I have been trying out this year is the inconsistency in formula across different colour. With these swatches below, we can definitely play a game of "one of these things is not like the other"!

After Diva* (lip swatch here), Envy* was my second favourite shade and formula with the same easy application and relatively weightless formula. This bright orange-red seemed to brighten up my skin and add a nice pop of colour to an otherwise neutral makeup look.

Envy

There are some shades that just don't work and unfortunately Bombshell* was one of them. This probably would not have been so bad in a gloss or cream formula, but this peachy pink looked almost clown-like on me and made me look like I was glowing from afar. Formula was the same as Diva and Envy, but this colour was just too much for me.

Bombshell

Finally we come to Vamp*, which is actually a beautiful colour but the formula was oddly watery. It made me think that I perhaps received a dud, but even with searching online for reviews I wasn't able to find a swatch of Vamp. You can see below that because the formula was so watery, even application was near impossible. My husband thought I had a lip gradient going on, but that is just the patchiness happening...

Vamp

Final verdict: Diva is the shade I wear most often because of how neutral and flattering it is with any makeup look, but Envy is a close second! The formula is fairly comfortable, but I still find the Make Up For Ever Artist Liquid Mattes (review) a bit more comfortable to wear. The Lip Velours were indeed transfer proof, which I tested out by eating a very leafy salad, and last the day. There was some wear on the inner part of my lip after eating which I think is to be expected, but other than the formulation issue with Vamp, I liked the shades that did work and hopefully darker shades like Vamp will be better on the next iteration.

Quo Cosmetics is available exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart.

MAKEUP | Quo Cosmetics Matte Revolution Foundation with Before and After Face Shots

Foundation is probably one of the last makeup products I really got into (after brow products) because it is one of the most terrifying things to apply on your face. It isn't a product like an eyeshadow or a lipstick that is just a small fraction of your face, but involves ALL OF YOUR FACE. If you have the wrong colour or less than stellar blending, there is no coming back from it. For years I stayed away until I discovered roughly what colour family my skin was in and though I still prefer a more natural finish to my skin, I have come to love foundation to the point where I treat it like skincare. I have probably 30 foundations that I rotate through on a daily basis and with new foundations, BB creams and cushions coming out all the time, I find myself always up for trying something new!

This year Quo Cosmetics released the Matte Revolution Foundation* ($24.00 CDN), a foundation and concealer in one that provides full coverage while feeling absolutely weightless. The formula is creamy and promises to blend seamlessly to even out skin tone and give skin the ultimate matte finish. This kind of finish is foreign to me as I prefer my skin dewy, but as I have been getting more and more into matte lipsticks, maybe a matching foundation might be interesting?