Clinique Sculptionary Cheek Contouring Palettes

The new Clinique Sculptionary Cheek Contouring Palettes remind me of paint by number kits. While it's not an exact science, the three-step approach does simplify the process of contouring your cheeks: darkest shade below your cheekbones, medium shade on the apples of your cheeks, and lightest shade above the cheekbones blending into the apples.

This is where I mean when I say "below the cheekbone"

Below will largely be #picspam because there's not much differentiation between the three palettes in terms of texture and formula. Defining Nectars is peachier than the other two, whereas I can barely detect a difference between Defining Roses and Defining Berries on my skin. I think Defining Roses is just slightly muted.

They're perhaps not as finely milled as some other blushes I own, but they're $10-20 cheaper and still do a fine job, in addition to the added benefit of reminding you that a little contrast in dark and light goes a long way.

Sculptionary Cheek Contouring Palette in Defining Nectars


Sculptionary Cheek Contouring Palette in Defining Berries


Sculptionary Cheek Contouring Palette in Defining Roses

Pro tip: cheekbones are more prominent when you you look like a deer in headlights.

Clinique Sculptionary Cheek Contouring Palettes retail for $21 and are available at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Clinique.com (which also stocks two online exclusives)./

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Mechanical Brow Pencil
Guerlain Météorites Baby Glow in Medium 03
Clé de Peau Concealer in Ocher
Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara
Sisley Phyto 4 Ombres Eyeshadow Quartet in Dream
Look 1 -
Clinique Sculptionary Cheek Contouring Palette in Defining Nectars, Sisley Phyto-Lip Twist Tinted Lip Balm in Candy
Look 2 -
Clinique Sculptionary Cheek Contouring Palette in Defining Berries, Sisley Phyto-Lip Twist Tinted Lip Balm in Chestnut
Look 3 -
Clinique Sculptionary Cheek Contouring Palette in Defining Roses, Sisley Phyto-Lip Twist Tinted Lip Balm in Coral

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample product(s) sent by the brand for editorial consideration. This entry also contains affiliate links.

Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour and Highlight

The subject line of the email pitch for Clinique's new contouring collection was "Hello Cheekbones!" It's like they knew exactly how to tug at my heartstrings. I don't have any problems in this particular area (the older I get, the more prominent my cheekbones become), but for some reason I still like products that create the illusion of angles on the face. Anyone should be able to look like Tom Hiddleston, I say!

Today's post is about the Sculpting Contour and Highlight Chubby Sticks. Pretty straightforward: one darker shade to create the illusion of shadow and one lighter shade to create the illusion of light (for the uninitiated, here's a contouring tutorial I wrote three years ago). I draw lines with the darker shade on the bottom of my cheekbones, on the sides of my nose, under my jaw line, by my temples, then blend furiously – the key is to make the color look like a natural part of your skin. I run the lighter shade down my nose bridge to the tip of my nose, above my cheekbones, under and over the arch of my eyebrows, on my cupid's bow, and my chin. Again, blend it out. Considering that a contoured look is supposed to be undetectable, it sure takes a lot of work.

Though these two Clinique offerings happen to work for my skin tone, it's clear that it's made for a very specific customer (fair, neutral/warm-toned skin). While I absolutely love the Chubby Stick range and think they're a godsend when it comes to applying makeup on-the-go, these are not meant for beginners. Contouring requires specific placement, and you get less control when using fingers versus a brush. The formula, though, is what you'd expect: smooth and easy to blend out. I'm keeping these in my portable makeup bag for the days I'd like to look extra sharp.

Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour and Highlight retail for $21 each and is available at Sephora and Clinique.com.

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Mechanical Brow Pencil
Guerlain Météorites Baby Glow in Medium 03
Clé de Peau Concealer in Ocher
Jane Iredale Getaway Eye Shadow Kit
Jane Iredale Jelly Jar Gel Eyeliner in Espresso
Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara
Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour
Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight
Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain in Forever Peach

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample product(s) sent by the brand for editorial consideration. This entry also contains affiliate links.

A Re-Introduction

HELLO. This post is less informative and more celebratory – I finally managed to find a limited window of time where enough sunlight filters into my apartment and allows me to take photos worthy of the blog. I haven't been in front of the camera in such a long time, so I've forgotten many of its caveats (foundation, or at least a dusting of Guerlain météorites, is a must for better-looking skin).

That said, we've never shied away from the ugly here at Messy Wands. Try though I might – exfoliating, then layering face mist, serum, oil and cream – I haven't been able to fully rectify my dry skin woes and parts of my face remain scaly. The only respite I've had was when I used the Tatcha Deep Hydration Lifting Mask (review here), but the beauty and curse of a mask is that it's super effective only for a day.

Perhaps because of all that, I've been favoring the neutral, contoured look. It has just enough color so I'll look polished but not so much that I'll draw attention to problem areas. Here, I'm glad I'm finally able to show you a clearer picture of the recently reviewed Guerlain Météorites Perles De Blush and Ellis Faas Glow Up in action.

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Mechanical Brow Pencil
Shu Uemura Pressed Eye Shadow Refill M 864
Clé de Peau Concealer in Ocher
Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara
Three Flash Performance Eyeliner Pencil 07
Guerlain Météorites Perles De Blush
Ellis Faas Glow Up
Shiseido Lacquer Gloss in VI708 Phantom

Ushering in Spring with flowers from Clinique

Maybe "eternal" is a little too strong, but looking at how the Clinique Cheek Pops have been holding up at the rate I'm using it, I'm pretty sure the petals will only disappear when I'm close to hitting pan.

Clinique has been absolutely on point with its makeup innovations of late, and these new-for-spring Cheek Pops take the cake. They are housed in sturdy clear plastic containers, making them great everyday travel companions. The texture is a little out of the ordinary. I would call it densely packed powder, since it takes a bit of work to pick up the pigment with a soft blush brush. The swatches below were made with fingers: one single hard swipe for Plum Pop and Peach Pop, two hard swipes for Ginger Pop.

L-R: Plum Pop, Peach Pop, Ginger Pop

Ginger Pop is a neutral red blush, and what I suspect would flatter the majority of skin tones. Peach Pop is a shimmering coral. In the swatch, it looks like NARS Orgasm without the sparkle. Plum Pop is the cool plummy pink blush I never knew I was missing. Again, it looks scary in the swatch, but on the cheeks (see below) it is quite demure.

Ginger Pop. Look breakdown here

Plum Pop. Look breakdown here

While they come off as almost too bright on my arm, these shades are flattering and can look very natural when applied to the cheeks. While finger application works fine in a pinch, I prefer building up the color with a blush brush. The blush lasts all day on me, though the color is slightly faded by the end of the day.

Clinique Cheek Pops retail for $21 and is available at Clinique.com, Sephora, and Nordstrom.

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration. This entry also contains affiliate links.

A Punch of Pink from Clinique

It was a whopping 13C/55F in New York City today. It's incredible what gentler weather does to the spirits – I haven't seen as many smiles on the street since... fall, probably? – and I suppose the evidence is in this blog post. After all, it got me writing.

Something bright was in order, so I reached into my ever-growing pile of Make Up I Should Test. Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Plushest Punch emerged, so here we are.

Firstly, I knew it was called intense, but I didn't know how intense it was going to be (this is an occasion where the brand team got the product name totally right). One swipe and I was like woah!, and then obviously, I went all out.

Plushest Punch goes on glossy and dries to a stain-like finish in an hour, though color is as vibrant as ever. Wear time is a solid 3-5 hours, but with the pen shape, reapplication is a breeze. I love lip products that make coloring outside the lines virtually impossible.

I have not taken hi-res pictures of myself in almost six months, and I have to say my skin surprised even me in these pictures. It behooves me to inform you about the two products I used: the newly acquired Suqqu Frame Fix Cream Foundation (from Japan, or *wince* ichibankao.com) and Clé de Peau Beauté Luminizing Face Enhancer in Delicate Pink, which has acquired HG status in my stable of highlighters. I use it on cheekbones, nose, cupid's bow, below/above eyebrows, and with my ring finger, dab the beige-ish shade on the inner corners of my eye. This palette is so magnificent it brings tears to my eyes.

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Plushest Punch retails for $21 and is available at Clinique counters everywhere!

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Suqqu Frame Fix Cream Foundation N 102
Le Metiér de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur Concealer Shade 1
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
Clé de Peau Beauté Eye Color Quad 212
THREE Flash Performance Eyeliner Pencil 05
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Clinique Cheek Pop in Ginger Pop
Clé de Peau Beauté Luminizing Face Enhancer in Delicate Pink
Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Plushest Punch

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration. This entry also includes affiliate links.

Beauty PSA: Clinique Happy Heart

I was one of those young 'uns that had a bottle of Clinique Happy (fine, stealthily spritzed on my sister's) and wore it like it was the only perfume worth wearing on my sleeve... because that was where I thought I was supposed to put perfume.

So, it's quite clear I've never been a big perfume person – that one-quarter-empty bottle of Happy was about the most used fragrance I've ever owned. As such, perfume reviews are obviously not my strong suit. I can't wax lyrical about notes because I can never remember what anything actually smelled like, I can only tell you what kind of memory a scent evokes. When I received this, I sprayed it on (my wrist, this time) and it smelled like high school, which was personally one of the happiest times in my life.

To be formal about it though, the press release describes it as "bright and floral with hints of sweetness from mandarin orange and cassis mingled with soft floral notes of water lily, rose, and geranium." Dry notes of sandalwood, musk, and blondewood are somewhere in there as well. I'm sorry, all I smell is perfume flowers, guys.

So, why is this a PSA? The regular Happy Heart fragrance bottle is actually not as decked out with love as this one. Clinique has been partnering with the Happy Hearts Fund (since November 2012) to build and rebuild schools in areas affected by natural disasters, and a portion of the sale of this limited edition Happy Heart perfume, as well as the coral-red Happy ♥ nail polish will go to the fund. In fact, there's so much love to go around that they also created a limited edition t-shirt, pictured above.

Make someone happy. :)

The limited edition Clinique Happy Heart Perfume Spray retails for $37, A Different Nail Enamel in Happy ♥ is $12.50, and the t-shirt is $16.

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

Clinique Chubby Stick for Eyes

Perhaps you've heard about the Clinique Chubby Stick, arguably the most popular item to come from the company since the 3-step system. While we know it originally to be a lightweight lip tint, the Chubby Stick has actually evolved into a franchise, with a recently released intense lip version and in February, the eye version.

The Clinique shadows are pigmented, smooth, and easy to blend, which I never thought I would say about cream eye pencils. I did not experience creasing or fading and they last impressively long even without a primer.

I applied the shadow below (Whopping Willow) exactly the way I did here, using the exact same tool. Recently, I've been needing to simplify my regimen for travel while still looking presentable, and I find that cream eye pencils offer the best of both worlds. One simple stick allows me to achieve a decent look, and when the formula is as good as this, it actually becomes a pleasure to apply (unlike this).

In short, when this launches in February (for $16 apiece), everyone should head to a counter and play and then wave your fist at me because then you'll want to have one (or four) of your own.

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.