One collection I always look forward to is Sephora x Pantone Universe’s Color of the Year collection.  I absolutely love colour and am always excited to see what shade Pantone will announce as the colour of the year.  So basically, my favourite makeup store coupled with the biggest colour authority = a match made in heaven.

Sephora has put out Pantone collections since 2012 when Tangerine Tango was announced as the ’12 Color of the Year. They followed up with the emerald collection last year, and since Radiant Orchid is the 2014 Color of the Year, another collection has made its way into Sephora stores this month.

The Sephora + Pantone Universe 2014 Color of the Year Radiant Orchid Capsule Collection is filled with gorgeous fuchsia and complementary colours.  They released everything from a nail polish set to a matte lipstick to a balm to a brush set and much more.  I received the Rush Luster Cheek Sweep (C$21), the Venus Lure Lip Balm (C$20), and the Color Gaze Brush Set (C$82) before it launched in stores to try out.

Color Gaze Brush Set.

Rush Lustre Cheek Sweep

Venus Lure Lip Balm.

The Rush Luster Cheek Sweep is a compact filled with the radiant orchid blush plus two complementary highlights in champagne and pink.  The highlights can also double up as eyeshadows.

The Venus Lure Lip Balm is a soft-hued balm that combines nourishing orchid essence Hyaluronic Acid and collagen for a soft, smoothing effect with shine and tone.  This goes on quite sheer but does give you that plumping effect.

The Colour Gaze Brush Set contains six high-quality brushes in a pebbled vegan leather standing case. The set includes an angled blush brush, stippling brush, all-over shadow brush, crease brush, shadow brush, and lip brush.  All brushes have white synthetic hair and radiant orchid-coloured bristles.

I couldn’t wait to dip in and try everything out. I created a look using the products from the new collection, including the brushes.

1. Starting the eyes, lay down an eyeshadow primer.  Because we are going to use pink colours, I used Benefit’s Creaseless Cream Shadow in RSVP.

2. Fill in your brows, then with the champagne highlight from the Lustre Rush Cheek Sweep palette, sweep this along your brow bone.

3. With a light brown and a fluffy crease brush, like the one from the Color Gaze Brush Set, sweep this right underneath your highlight acting as a transition colour. The shadow I used was from the Smashbox Full Exposure palette.

4. With a shadow brush (I used the brush from the set), apply the pink highlight colour from the cheek sweep palette along your eyelids.

5. With a deep purple, like Hustle from the Urban Decay Naked palette and a crease brush (I used a MAC 217), apply this in your crease.

6. Line your upper lash line with a liquid liner, winging it out.  Then, apply a couple coats of mascara.

7. With a pencil brush, or the lip brush from the set (that’s what I used), apply Hustle (or the deep purple shadow you used), along the lower lash line.  Then apply a nude-coloured liner along your waterline. I used Rimmel London ScandalEyes Kohl Kajal in Nude.  Then, apply a couple coats of mascara to your lower lash line.  I used CoverGirl Lash Blast Clump Crusher.

8. Apply your foundation and concealer (I used CoverGirl Stay Fabulous and CoverGirl TruBlend Fix Stick concealer) and your contour bronzer (I used Too Faced Sun Bunny Light), and then with the angled blush brush from the brush set, apply the Radiant Orchid blush from the Cheek Sweep Palette.  Note about this blush, a little goes a long way and it does go on patchy.  I had to use my flat-top foundation brush to blend everything out.

9. With the All-Over Shadow Brush, apply the champagne highlight to your cheekbones.

10. For the lips, I first applied a nude lipstick, like Maybelline’s Bare All from The Buffs collection, then with the Venus Lure Lip Balm, layer this over top of the nude.  The balm is very sheer but it’s buildable, so therefore the combo of the two leaves you with a nice pink-nude shade.

And that’s the final look! I love everything from the collection and am super impressed with the product offerings this time around.  I love the cheek sweep palette and the brushes the most because I find the quality of the products are really nice (aside from the Radiant Orchid blush, because you really have to blend it out for it to look natural).  The balm is also nice and it gives you that plumping effect.  I really like layering it over top of another lipstick for a touch of orchid!

Are you excited to try out Sephora x Pantone Universe’s Radiant Orchid collection?

Like what you read? Check out these related posts:

• The lash diaries: Sephora x Pantone Universe Light Flicker mascara
• Northern lights: Sephora x Pantone Universe SpectraLights collection
• Candy crush: Benefit releases Lollitint cheek/lip stain
• Raindrops on roses… Too Faced A Few of my Favourite Things set

If I had to pick a liner shape that is my signature, it would be the cat eye.  I love the way a good cat eye wing elongates my eye, and the because of this, you need the perfect tools to get it done right.  My favourite forms of liner are liquid or gel, but I have found that most days I’ll reach for my pen liquid liner as it’s just much handier and easier to apply.

I have been loving Marc Jacob Beauty’s Magic Marc’er in Blacquer, as well as cult-classic Lancome’s Art Liner.  If I had to choose between the two, I would go with the Marc Jacobs version because it’s waterproof and does not budge until you take it off. It also gives you that perfect black line, no streaks.

I’ve never branched into drugstore when it comes to a liquid pen liner, but when CoverGirl came out with their new Bombshell Intensity Liner, I knew I had to try it.  Maybe it was the compact size (it’s so small!), or maybe because it was part of the Bombshell collection (love the name), or maybe because the packaging was pink, all I knew was that I had to have it in my life.

The Bombshell Intensity Liner is part of CoverGirl’s LashBlast collection and features a precision felt tip applicator.  It’s available in both black and brown.

I got the product in the colour black and I have to say that it paints a nice line.  It’s not as black as the Marc Jacobs liner, but I mean you are comparing drugstore to department store.  With that being said, if you are looking for a good liquid liner that is affordable, this one is great.  Because the product is small, it really gives you a nice precise line as it’s easy to hold (also great for travel!).  The felt tip is quite sturdy too, so I find you are less likely to make a mess. I do want to note that it can be a bit streaky, but honestly, I find Lancome’s Art Liner to be a little streaky too, and if I were to compare it to that one, I have to say I like the CoverGirl version better.  Although CoverGirl’s liner may not be as smudge or waterproof as the Marc Jacob’s version, it’s way better than Lancome’s. Lancome Artliner smudges on me if I get watery eyes, which is common if I’m out in the sun without shades.  CoverGirl does claim that it lasts 24 hours and I haven’t tried that out (nor would I want to, hello beauty sleep!), but it does pack a punch in terms of how long you can wear it for.

Overall, I really liked this liner and would highly recommend it if you are looking for an affordable liquid liner.  If you are a huge fan of Lancome’s Art Liner, give this bad boy a try, it may surprise you ;).

Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Like what you read?  Check out these related posts.

• Rockin’ Romance at the Beauty United #MusicGlam Grammy Party
• A passion for pinks! My top pink choices for spring!
• Eyes to kill: CoverGirl Bombshell mascara
• How to be a #bombshell

It’s seriously like L’Oreal Paris knows all my favourite skin products and decided to just come out with their own versions.

Just like their Sublime Soft Cleansing Oil and the Micellar Solution, L’Oreal Paris released their own version of a pore-perfecting primer, the YouthCode Texture Perfector Pore Vanisher Cream.

I have never had a problem with visible pores before but absolutely love Benefit’s The POREfessional primer, so much so that it’s my primer of choice before my foundation.  Pore-perfecting creams blur out the look of your pores, creating a soft-focus finish so they aren’t that noticeable.  Not only are they great for that purpose, but they also create a nice base for your foundation.

The YouthCode Pore Vanisher Cream instantly gives you that soft-focus effect to minimize the look of pores in depth, number, and size.  L’Oreal claims that in four weeks, pores look virtually vanished.

So how does it compare to my beloved Benefit POREfessional?  Well, I would say they are pretty similar.  They look the same in terms of colour and texture and they both blurred the look of my pores and worked great as a primer.  Like I said, I wouldn’t use this product as a pore minimizer personally as I don’t have a pore issue, but as a primer this worked great.  With that being said, there is something about Benefit’s The POREfessional that I just liked better; maybe because it’s a touch thicker in consistency, I don’t know.  Overall though, I would say the L’Oreal version is a good dupe.

In terms of price and size, L’Oreal takes the cake.  The suggested retail price of the L’Oreal YouthCode Pore Vanisher is close to C$30, however, I have seen it at my local Wal-Mart for $17.99 just this past weekend.  L’Oreal is also a brand that goes on sale quite often at drugstores.  Benefit’s The POREfessional on the other hand retails for C$37.  You also get less with Benefit compared to L’Oreal, 0.75oz versus 1.4 oz.  With them being so close in quality, it’s a no brainer, pick up the L’Oreal version if pores are your ‘thang.

Are you going to try L’Oreal Paris YouthCode Pore Vanisher?  

Please note, I received this product from PR. All opinions are my own.

Like what you read? Check out these related posts:

• Dupe diaries: L’Oreal Paris Sublime Soft Gentle Micellar Solution
• Cleansing oil conundrum: L’Oreal Paris Sensational Cleansing Oil
• Get glam! Glam Glow Mud Masks
• Raindrops on roses… Too Faced A Few of my Favourite Things set