Beauty review time!

Annabelle cosmetics was kind enough to send me a few items to review a few weeks ago. I waited to write this post so that I could try them out multiple times in day to day usage.

In case you’re not familiar with Annabelle, they are a Canadian cosmetics company based out of Montreal. Their cosmetics focus on what I like to call “the final touches” which are things like eye makeup, bronzers and lip products.

You can find Annabelle products in most drugstores, usually next to the cheap stuff like Bonne Bell or NYC. But don’t let that fool you! Annabelle is actually one of the better drugstore brands I have tried, and I compared it to contenders such as Maybelline and Covergirl.

Maybe I am biased because it’s a Canadian company and I love using products from the homeland, but I was impressed by the items I received.

Here’s a rundown of what I got:

• Smudgeliner in Vortex Violet (LOVE THIS COLOUR!) ($8.50)
• Studio Pigment in Dragonette ($8.50)
• Mineral Pigment Dust in Solar ($8.50)
• Mineral Pigment Dust in Golden Pink ($8.50)

I mostly use MAC for my eyeshadows, so I wanted to try Annabelle’s pigments to see how well the colour really popped, and what the application was like. I was really going with colour (isn’t Dragonette GORGE?) since I noticed that my palette is mostly variations on the name neutral hues.

The pigments are pretty good. To be honest I can’t tell the difference between the Studio Pigment and Mineral Pigment Dusts other than different colour choices. I just mixed and matched.

Overall I liked how smoothly they applied, and the luminous colour they provided. I went totally wild and used all three plus the liner for a crazy rainbow look for a house party not long ago and I got lots of compliments! The one thing I would caution (and this goes for any product) is don’t use too much, even with primer it can get cakey if you go overboard. I used a little too much and spent the night feeling as though my eyelids were 10lbs. heavier.

The solar as a base lid colour and the golden pink in the crease is a totally fab look for me as a blonde. Subtle enough to wear to a job interview (oh I totally did!) but enough colour and glow to satisfy my colour kick!

I’ll throw a little Dragonette on with a liner brush if I want just a small pop of colour and interest for my eyes.

If you’re going to pick these babies up though I would recommend grabbing one of Annabelle’s little shadow brushes as well, the opening in the pot is tiny (to keep it from spilling) and I found that my normal shadow brushes wouldn’t fit.

As for the smudgeliner, it’s pretty great too. I didn’t actually use the smudging part (I can never figure that stuff out!) but I compared the application, pigment load and staying power to my favourite MAC Powerpoint eyeliner and it did pretty well!

It went on smoothly without too much tugging or trouble, stayed on the whole work day and was a lovely pop of purple to accent my green eyes. I mostly wore this alone on the lid (with mascara) but it would go well with a colourful look.

Overall I was pleased with the Annabelle lineup, and will likely purchase them in the future. I think the costs are reasonable for what you get and the selection is getting better all the time!

Brava, Annabelle!