Lise Watier Winter 2012 Glamour Rose collection swatches & review

Winter is coming.
Actually, Winter is already here for those who live north of the wall border. Vancouver was uncharacteristically warm and sunny for the first week of October, but Thanksgiving brought around the grey skies and incessant rain which will probably let up sometime around June of next year.
Ah well, at least Winter heralds the beginning of the Holiday season and with it, all the Holiday and Winter releases from the various beauty houses.
Lise Watier teased me relentlessly with their Winter 2012 Glamourose catalogue, the promo imagery is tres Madonna circa La Isla Bonita no? Anyway, I finally got around to swatching and reviewing the samples I received.

"The Rose, the queen of flowers, is blossoming into a collection of refined shades and products. This flower is the inspiration behind this new Lise Watier collection, a symbol of beauty, love and femininity."

Palette Glamour Rose in Vert Minuit
Price: $45
Lise Watier sez: "A trio of eyeshadows, half cream half powder, that comes with an embossed rose shaped blush and a matching blush brush."
Nunu sez: The Vert Minuit palette consists of 3 pearl finish eyeshadows in white, khaki and black, and a matte pink blush. The eyeshadows are all soft and finely milled, however, the pigmentation and texture is not on par with their awesome Aquarella quads. Of the 3, the khaki was the most pigmented and applied the smoothest, the black was slightly chalky but still pigmented and the white swatched the poorest. I didn't really feel the "half cream" part of the formula, in fact, the shadows kick up quite a bit of dust when used. I suggest wearing these with a primer or a base, as their intensity fades rather significantly without one. The blusher is cool toned and has decent pigmentation, however, it applies a bit too powdery for my liking.
The cover art on the palette is beautifully ornate and I wonder why they went with a cardboard packaging which cheapens the whole effect.

Illuminating Face & Body Powder
Price: $35
Lise Watier sez: "This versatile powder is ideal for illuminating the neckline with a soft pearly shade, or for adding a touch of glimmer on the eyelids and cheeks"
Nunu sez: The beautiful embossing on this powder reminded me so much of the beauty powders from MAC'S A Rose Romance. I didn't notice any colour being imparted by this powder, top swatch is heavily done with a sponge applicator and bottom swatch was done with a domed powder brush. Imparts a lovely glow without being overly frosty. Thumbs up for this one.

Luxurious Satin Finish Eyeshadow in Gold
Price: $24
Lise Watier sez: "New formula combines exceptional brightness and silky texture that can be worn alone or over another eyeshadow for a more intense and brilliant look."
Nunu sez: I got quite tanned during my time in Hawai'i and as a result have taken to wearing warmer shades of makeup, much to the consternation of the Other Tine. The formula is much nicer than that of the shadows in the Glamour Rose palette, it is smooth, and pigmented and doesn't kick up any dust. This is a really pretty light gold and I look forward to pairing it with a cranberry shade for the Holiday season.

Eye Shine eyeliner pencil in Black Gold
Price: $18
Lise Watier sez: "Two new shades featuring micro-glitter have been added to the line of eyeliners renown for their soft texture and metallic lustre. "
Nunu sez: This is my favourite product from this collection! I ended up using it before I took photos for this review. Bad blogger! But it is so gorgeous and I just couldn't resist xD.
Don't let the words "micro-glitter" deter you, this pencil applies silky smooth, is extremely pigmented and lasts all day. The glitter shows up as a uniform metallic gleam and the result is sultry glamour instead of Ke$ha. The colour reminds me a lot of L'Oreal's Infallible Eyeshadow in Cosmic Black, it's got that same bronzey-golden sheen in a black base and I love using it on my lower lash line. Ugh, SO MUCH LOVE!!

Rouge Plumpissimo Lipstick in Glamour Rose
Price: $21
Lise Watier sez: "Perfect for an irresistibly plumped look with a highly pigmented rich pink colour"
Nunu sez: I have reviewed their Rouge Plumpissimo lipsticks before here and I am happy to report that they no longer have that odd licorice smell!! In fact, they now appear to have the same yummy cake smell as their Rouge Gourmand lipsticks. The formula is not exactly moisturising, but it's not really drying either, it wears comfortably on my lips on its own but I would recommend lipbalm underneath. It's a lovely bright cerise shade which fades to a lovely stain and I was able to get a good 5 hours wear from it.

The collection, which includes a few more pieces, will be available from November 2012 to January 2013. If you are Canadian, London Drugs and Shoppers Drug Mart carry the line, or you can order online from lisewatier.com.
Ok, now I am going to crawl back into my cocoon of blankets. Revive when necessary with copious amounts of heavily spiked egg nog.

Rowenta Beauty Curl Active review

The PR for Rowenta Beauty contacted me a while back to do a review of their Curl Active curling iron, I procrastinated until now because I was waiting for my hair to grow. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 Curler comes with a built in stand! You won't have to set it on a protective mat or worry about it burning your counters!

Damage:
$179.99 from Rowenta Beauty
Rowenta Beauty sez: 
" The Curl Active offers glamorous, salon quality curls in an effortless gesture. Equipped with a high tech curling system, this revolutionary tool automatically rotates hair around a motorized barrel. Optimal rotation speed ensures hair is perfectly coiled, and the tool’s varying temperatures support all hair types. Full bodied curls are seamlessly achieved, even at the back of the head, and results are long lasting.

• Motorized curling system
• 2 rotation switches for various hair styles
• Variable temperature: 2 heat positions of 180°C and 210°C
• Heating element within iron for a perfect thermic conduction
• Fast heat up (1.5 minutes)
• Ceramic coating to protect hair and increase shine
• Ideal curl diameter (23 mm)
• Exclusive trigger to grip and hold hair in place"

Nunu sez:
My hair is naturally thick and coarse which means it takes quite a lot of effort to curl. Effort I am way too lazy to exert. The Rowenta Curl Active curler takes away all that extra effort; all I really  have to do is clip a section of my hair to the curler and press a button and the barrel automatically rolls up. No more having to wind the curling iron up to my head! It even rolls backwards a bit when it gets to the end of the section so that klutzes like me don't end up burning their scalp.
I use the higher heat setting and hold the curler in place for 10 seconds, on release I get lovely soft curls. Heat up time was fast, I was able to use the curler within 30 seconds of turning it on.
The curler does take a little getting used to, the first few times I used it I would press the wrong direction or the release trigger instead. I also found it slightly awkward to use on the back of my head and on shorter hair in general as the clip is rather short, of course if you have longer hair this isn't really a problem.
Allow me to illustrate the process:

Attach the clip to the bottom of a section of hair:

 Press the direction button and watch the barrel roll up the section of hair. Hold for 10seconds.

Tada!

Continue to do rest of hair, remember to go in alternate directions or your hair will end up in 1 giant curl.

Look forlornly into the distance:

In both directions:

Back view:

Ahjumma gangnam style!

I was originally going to make a video until I realised that I looked like this:

Used on my friend who has long hair:

Back from Aloha land.

Aloha cousins! I am back from paradise! Did you all miss me? xD
I just got back yesterday morning and am already back in the office slaving away. It's quite cold in Vancouver right now so I am nostalgic for the warm weather and beautiful beaches of Hawai'i. Maybe some food pics will cure my post holiday blues.

Da Poke Shack - 76-6246 Alii Dr
Kailua, HI

Yes, that is a bottle of beer next to the No Alcoholic Beverages Allowed sign. We like to live dangerously. (Not really, the shop owner said it was OK)

When in Hawai'i eat poke; lots and lots of poke. Poke is basically raw diced ahi tuna that is marinated in shoyu and served with rice. Our hotel in Kona was down the road from the famous Poke Shack and we ended up eating there 3 times during our stay. That green stuff is wakame or seaweed salad. I am seriously addicted to that stuff!!! Yume please teach me how to make it?

Basik Cafe - 75-5831 Kahakai Rd
Kailua-Kona, HI

Tried to balance out all the unhealthy eating and drinking with something healthy. This cafe served Acai berry smoothies and fruit bowls. So yummy, it was like eating red bean ice except it's not sweet.

Fish Hopper - 75-5683 Alii Dr
Kailua Kona, HI

Word of caution, don't eat beef on an island. Ok, Kobe beef in Japan is different, but seriously don't eat beef in Hawai'i. Mr. Nunu got the surf and turf and the beef tasted...odd. I had the swordfish instead and it was omg yummy!

Island Lava Java -  75-5799 Alii Dr Ste A1
Kailua Kona, HI

Their pastries and breads are made in house and their banana pancakes with macadamia nuts and COCONUT(!!!) syrup was so good I had them twice during my stay. Their eggs benedicts are served on a croissant instead of an English muffin and Mr. Nunu gives them his stamp of approval.

Big Island Grill - 75-5702 Kuakini Hwy
Kailua Kona, HI

"We are noodle folk, broth runs through our veins". Saimin is apparently Hawaii's answer to Japan's ramen and China's mein so of course we had to try it. It comprises of wheat egg noodles in a dashi broth with additions such as char siu, spam, egg, green onion, and wonton. It tastes quite interesting but won't replace ramen's place in my heart. In case you're wondering why the char siu is in a separate bowl it's because I don't eat pork xD

That concludes our Kona eats. Next up, Honolulu.

Morimoto's - 1775 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI

 Tuna and salmon tartare.

 Chef's sashimi plate

 Anchovy fondue dip thing

 Nigiri

 Surf and turf with curried lobster claw (upper right corner), beef medallions (upper left) and pork (lower left).

 Sweet potato cake and taro ice cream.

Ok, we are probably suckers but we went to Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto's restaurant the night we arrived in Honolulu. We ordered the omakase, which means we were served the chef's creation, and a sashimi platter. I'm not gonna lie but the bill came out close to what we spend on groceries for a month -___-". Was it worth it? Nope, but it's a once in a lifetime kind of experience. The sashimi was seriously top notch, however, I feel the omakase at Octopus Garden was better both in quality and quantity.

L&L Drive Inn - everywhere

A visit to Hawai'i wouldn't be complete without a plated lunch from L&L. I met up with Kat of Mai-Kat Oshaberi on my second last day on the islands and she made my L&L dreams come true. She also drove me everywhere, listened to my whining, and fed me lots of yummy food. Thank you so much Kat!! The chicken katsu is so gooood!! The meat is pounded nice and thin and the coating is light and crispy!

 Nico's Pier 38 - 1133 N Nimitz Hwy
Honolulu, HI

This place is quite hidden to tourists. Their prices are pretty reasonable and my Ahi tuna with furikake crust was really good!!! Get the mussels instead of the clams.

Marukame - 2310 Kuhio Ave
Honolulu, HI

Assembly line udon that is really cheap ($3.75 a bowl!!!) and tasty! I don't even like eggs and I snarfled down their tempura half boiled egg.

Giovanni's Shrimp Truck - 56-505 Kamehameha Hwy
Kahuku, HI

I will ask for Giovanni's shrimp scampi as my final meal. It is well worth the 1 hour drive from Honolulu. Just look at it! Garlicky buttery goodness. Ermahgerd, I am drooling just thinking about it right now.

And finally, the only form that Poi should ever come in. Fried poi mochi tastes just like Chinese sesame balls from dim sum.