Stephanie's Canadian Love Affair: Annabelle Cosmetics!
Hi everyone! This is Stephanie of Beauty Infinitum, guest posting for the lovely Megan! This month's Canadian Beauty Bloggers guest post theme is Canadian Love, and I had to feature one of my favourite Canadian brand (and brand in general), Annabelle!
Annabelle is a widely-available brand here in Canada, with very affordable, high-quality products. You might also know their sister brand, Marcelle. I've loved so many of the Annabelle products I've tried, and I've split my favourites into three groups below: Eyes, Face, Lips. Full disclosure: I do have a PR relationship with Annabelle, and some of my picks below were sent free for consideration. Those are marked with an asterisk (*). I really do love each product whether or not I paid for it though, and all opinions are 100% my own.
Eyes
I think Annabelle's eye makeup products were the first I delved into, as I kept hearing great things about their eyeliners. I love their Smoothliner in Metal Daze, which is black with silver sparkles and glides on -- you guessed it -- very smoothly. I'd say it's comparable to Urban Decay's pencil liners, and I'm surprised I don't own more shades. The Kohl Liner in Black is a great staple and so inexpensive at under $5. It's smudgy and not waterproof, but I like it for every day looks and tightlining. Annabelle also has self-sharpening waterproof kohl liners called Stay Sharp, which I'm very interested in trying (Smashbox has a similar version, but Annabelle's are of course cheaper!)
I haven't tried a lot of Annabelle's eyeshadow offerings, but I really love the eyeshadow single in Gleam. It's a great neutral base (or could be used as a highlight, especially on darker skintones) and again, very inexpensive at under $6. The Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil in Acaidasiac is such an absolutely stunning metallic sky blue shade. I actually just use it as eyeliner and it's so, so pretty. There are neutral shades in the Smoothie line too, as well as a retractable shadow pencil version called Twistup.
One of my favourite mascaras ever is Le Big Show* (also available in a waterproof version). It gives me that wispy eyelash look that I love, and is a great all-in-one that is volumizing, curling, separating, and lengthening. And $10! Seriously such a great versatile mascara that deserves so much praise.
I haven't tried a lot of Annabelle's eyeshadow offerings, but I really love the eyeshadow single in Gleam. It's a great neutral base (or could be used as a highlight, especially on darker skintones) and again, very inexpensive at under $6. The Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil in Acaidasiac is such an absolutely stunning metallic sky blue shade. I actually just use it as eyeliner and it's so, so pretty. There are neutral shades in the Smoothie line too, as well as a retractable shadow pencil version called Twistup.
One of my favourite mascaras ever is Le Big Show* (also available in a waterproof version). It gives me that wispy eyelash look that I love, and is a great all-in-one that is volumizing, curling, separating, and lengthening. And $10! Seriously such a great versatile mascara that deserves so much praise.
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| From left to right: Annabelle Kohl Liner in Black, Smoothliner in Metal Daze, Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil in Acaidasiac, Eyeshadow Single in Gleam |
Face
Annabelle has two lines of bronzers available in a variety of shades: the Biggy Bronzer and Perfect Bronze. I have a Biggy Bronzer in Haute Gold*, which is medium-toned and shimmery. It's a nice versatile bronzer and the pan is large so you can easily swirl around the shades (or big up individual ones). There's also a darker version and a matte (yay!) I own the Perfect Bronze in Sun Breeze, which is lighter-toned than the Biggy and great for my pale skin. I also don't notice any shimmer in the pan or on my face, so it's good for light contouring, too.
The only blush by Annabelle I've tried is the Blushon in Rose Bud*, a really pretty rosy pink that I've been reaching for ever since I received it a few months ago. It's pigmented enough I only need one swipe of the brush for perfectly flushed (but not clownish) cheeks. It's a bit shimmery/sparkly, but it translates on the cheeks as a glow rather than a disco ball. I really need to try more shades!
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| From left to right: Biggy Bronzer in Haute Gold (blended shades), Perfect Bronze in Sun Breeze, Blushon in Rosebud |
Lips
Ooooooh, Annabelle lip products; they are so good. Some of the best drugstore offerings, in my opinion. My favourites are the Twistups (the lipstick version of the eyeshadow ones), Stay Sharp Lipliners (lipliner version of the eyeliners), and Lipsies Lip Balms.
The Twistups are brilliant and available in a variety of shades (conveniently sorted by colour group). I've owned a couple more than shown above, but they are currently lost in my sea of cosmetics. Monroe is a pinkish-red for your Old Hollywood style needs, Vamp* is a red-toned dark purple that I'm actually afraid to wear (but is a great option if you can rock darker shades!), and Bubble is bubbly neon pink that is great when you want something bright but not too bold. I love the formula of these (creamy, pigmented, and long-lasting) and the twist-up mechanism is of course very convenient. My only issue with these is that they don't twist all the way down, so I've nicked them a few times putting their caps back on. :(
I picked up three Stay Sharp Lipliners at Target's closing sale (RIP). There is a sharpener within the cap so that when you twist it open, the liner is freshly-sharpened. I don't have a separate sharpener for lip products so I always worry about cross-contamination with my eyeliners, so these are just so handy and convenient! They are creamy but long-lasting and waterproof, and are pretty enough to wear on their own. I own the shades Vintage (pinkish-nude). Glam Red (a cool-toned red), and Berry (a.. berry) and I definitely need to pick up the shades Nude and Strike a Rose!
The Lipsies Lip Balms are so versatile and have such a great formula and scents. Cupcake* is clear but smells so delicious (very baked goods vanilla-y) and Fruit Punch is a bright, cool-toned pink which is gorgeous on its own or under lip gloss. I've actually worn down Cupcake to a nub (what's visible in the above photo is almost all that is left of it) because it's such a great lip balm. These are similar to Maybelline's Baby Lips, but I find the balm aspect so much more moisturizing than those. The Lipsies are only $4.95 each and you can often find packs of two shades for $7.95! Must buy them all.
The Twistups are brilliant and available in a variety of shades (conveniently sorted by colour group). I've owned a couple more than shown above, but they are currently lost in my sea of cosmetics. Monroe is a pinkish-red for your Old Hollywood style needs, Vamp* is a red-toned dark purple that I'm actually afraid to wear (but is a great option if you can rock darker shades!), and Bubble is bubbly neon pink that is great when you want something bright but not too bold. I love the formula of these (creamy, pigmented, and long-lasting) and the twist-up mechanism is of course very convenient. My only issue with these is that they don't twist all the way down, so I've nicked them a few times putting their caps back on. :(
I picked up three Stay Sharp Lipliners at Target's closing sale (RIP). There is a sharpener within the cap so that when you twist it open, the liner is freshly-sharpened. I don't have a separate sharpener for lip products so I always worry about cross-contamination with my eyeliners, so these are just so handy and convenient! They are creamy but long-lasting and waterproof, and are pretty enough to wear on their own. I own the shades Vintage (pinkish-nude). Glam Red (a cool-toned red), and Berry (a.. berry) and I definitely need to pick up the shades Nude and Strike a Rose!
The Lipsies Lip Balms are so versatile and have such a great formula and scents. Cupcake* is clear but smells so delicious (very baked goods vanilla-y) and Fruit Punch is a bright, cool-toned pink which is gorgeous on its own or under lip gloss. I've actually worn down Cupcake to a nub (what's visible in the above photo is almost all that is left of it) because it's such a great lip balm. These are similar to Maybelline's Baby Lips, but I find the balm aspect so much more moisturizing than those. The Lipsies are only $4.95 each and you can often find packs of two shades for $7.95! Must buy them all.
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| Left to right: Annabelle Lipsies in Fruit Punch; Twistups in Bubble, Monroe, and Vamp; Stay Sharp Lipliners in Berry, Vintage, and Glam Red |
Thus concludes my love letter to Annabelle. ;) I strongly recommend checking out these products or others if you haven't already! You can find Annabelle at most drugstores and mass market stores (Walmart, Loblaws, etc.) in Canada, as well as online (they ship to the US as well).
Thanks so much, Megan, for letting me invade your blog and I hope I've convinced your readers to check out this amazing Canadian brand!
{Thanks, Stephanie! As it stands I only have three Annabelle products, but your enthusiasm has inspired me and I'll definitely be picking up a few of your recommendations. Check out the other Canadian Love posts the CBB has done this month!}
Thanks so much, Megan, for letting me invade your blog and I hope I've convinced your readers to check out this amazing Canadian brand!
{Thanks, Stephanie! As it stands I only have three Annabelle products, but your enthusiasm has inspired me and I'll definitely be picking up a few of your recommendations. Check out the other Canadian Love posts the CBB has done this month!}
Love love love. Ohhhhh the lippies tho! So good.
ReplyDeleteMarcelle came out of no where for me and I haven't looked back. I loooove!