MAC may have come out with 50 summer collections this year, but the one collection that has caught my eye for summer 2013 is from a different brand.  Yves Rocher France is a brand that carries makeup, bath products, skincare – the whole shebang.  I used to use their products much more often but have forgotten about them for other brands but I was really excited when I saw promo pics for Retropical – a paradise-themed set of products!  I opted for three things: their Kohl Duo eye liner in Seagreen/Deep Blue, the (jumbo) Eye Pencil in Pink Orchid and the Blue Lagoon Mascara.

I’ve played with the products for about two weeks, and I’m really impressed with them!  The jumbo pencil is a gorgeous rose-copper colour.  Depending the light it looks almost bronze with a hint of deep pink.  I like applying this in the crease, paired with a lighter white or champagne on the inner corner.  Like I mentioned in my June Favourites post, I have tried this on the waterline and while it stays nicely, I don’t like the look.  Red-tinted colours tend to make you look more tired, or sick – and I’m usually trying to cancel out redness on the waterline! So I stick to using it on the lid.

I picked up the mascara because I have wanted a blue mascara for AGES.  I first used Maybelline’s Teal Appeal, but I haven’t been able to find that one for two years now.  Since, then I’ve used a few coloured mascaras (Inglot, another Yves Rocher) and I find that the colour just doesn’t show up once the mascara dries.  Unfortunately, I gotta say it’s about the same result with this one (unless you’re in direct sunlight) BUT in terms of just the mascara, I really like it!  This is an awesome lengthening mascara (how many times can I write “mascara”).  It does an awesome job of separating the lashes, mine are practically touching my eyebrows by the time I’m done applying just one coat.  The tube is pretty small, but at $4.95 it’s cheaper than even a drugstore mascara.

The duo-kohl is the product that I wasn’t sure about when I bought it.  I was in a rush, so I tried the tester in the store and meh, so-so pigmentation, but I bought it anyway.  I’ve been on the hunt for a seafoam-minty eyeliner ever since I laid eyes on the NARS Spring 2013 Larger Than Life eyeliner in Barrow Street which is an absolutely gorgeous green colour.  The NARS one is $29 in Canada,  the Yves Rocher was $5 so needless to say, the choice was pretty obvious.  The shimmery seafoam side of this pencil has semi-sheer pigmentation, and it doesn’t really “stick” to the waterline.  However, it looks AWESOME smudged into the lower lash line.  The blue side has opaque, deep pigmentation, no shimmer, glides onto the waterline like a dream and looks great paired with the seafoam colour, on the outer part of the eye.   When I tried washing the swatches off the back of my hand, I had problems getting them off so I might even go as far as to say they are semi-waterproof, which isn’t advertised on the package (hidden bonus?).

Overall, I’m super happy with the products I’ve tried from Retropical.  Have you tried anything awesome recently?

Shop the collection at Yves-Rocher.com.

Jumbo eye pencil – $5.95 // Duo kohl – $4.95 // Mascara – $4.95